Mama Fishlegs
by DisneyFan2002
Summary: When Meatlug has an overdue pregnancy, Fishlegs Ingerman, the dragon-loving geek, sacrifices every square inch of his life on raising the only hatchling that survived from the clutch of eggs. He learns the wills and ways of taking Fishmeat under his arm while being overprotective and discovers the daily life as the role of a parent. One-shot.


**A/N: This idea occurred to me about a few months ago I believe. I absolutely love Fishlegs and Fishmeat in the movie. They are so cute together, and I just gush over them. I have a bittersweet theory that have lead me to create this fanfic. So, we all know that Fishlegs carries around Meatlug's baby, Fishmeat, throughout the whole movie, right? Did you ever stop and wonder, "Why is he only caring for one of Meatlug's babies and not the others?" Now, possible answers could be that the other hatchlings are too difficult for him to handle OR Meatlug doesn't have any other babies... alive. I know this is dark, but what if Fishmeat's siblings died early just after their first few breaths of birth because they were too weak to survive? This heartbreaking tragedy upsets Fishlegs and Meatlug, and because of that, he turns into this really protective mama bear to Fishmeat. He goes out of the way to take care of the little hatchling just like every parent would take care of their children. Fishlegs makes sure he has the proper love and nutrition that he needs, and he doesn't let him out of his sight. Not. Even. One. Time. As we can see in the movie, the two are basically inseparable. I mean, every time Fishlegs appears, Fishmeat is with him, showing his mama bear instincts. I can't even remember ONE scene where he doesn't have the baby with him with the exception of Hiccup and Astrid's wedding at the end of the film.**

**So, here we go. This is my theory on why Fishmeat is the only hatchling of Meatlug's that we see throughout the movie. Let me know if you agree on that theory or not. I hope you enjoy this one-shot. :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own How To Train Your Dragon and any of its content in any way or form. The wonderful characters, story, art, etc. do not belong to me. It is proudly owned by DreamWorks and the one that started it all, Cressida Cowell.**

The cold winter's breeze gave way into the historic village of Berk. The leafless leaves rustled simultaneously against the cold air. Some of them were topped with snow. No animal was in sight in the air or ground for where the naked eye could see. Not one single bird was in the cloudy sky. For the sake of survival, birds migrated up north for the winter, and animals like rabbits were under the ground for the few months of hibernation. The humans, however, had a different story to tell on how to survive the inescapable winter. In Berk, it snowed nine months and hailed the other three. Basically, it was winter all year round in that place, but nothing could compete in the winter holidays. In that season, it was a nightmare. Temperatures would drop so low, that you could get frostbite immediately when you walk outside with no warm clothing on. Fortunately for the Vikings, they were made to compete in the winter. Their preparations for the cold season would start before the first snow would hit around early November, possibly even earlier than that.

Vikings were determined, stubborn creatures who would do the impossible. Getting ready for the winter was just a long chore they would have to do every year... the longest chore of the year. It was hard for the Berkians to deal with the few months of winter as far as food abundance and population rates go. Clothing was the easiest part for them. Bundles of warmth would stock up in their closets throughout the spring and summer seasons. When fall arrives, they would slowly approach to new clothing changes. The Hooligans made sure they wore the most comfortable clothes possible on everywhere of their bodies, mother's especially. Children and babies especially had to keep warm from the harsh cold. They were delicately vulnerable to the strong, nasty winds and the snow. It stated that really young children and babies were the pinpoints on being wiped away from existence because of the winter. This type of season was the deadliest of them all. Innocent youth couldn't cope with the cold like adults could, so parents had to put in all their effort and strength to shelter and protect their offspring. Any clothing like sleeved tunics for the boys, long-sleeved dresses for the girls, mittens/gloves for their little hands, caps for the strands of hairs on their heads, scarves around their necks, leggings for their short legs, boots snug on their feet. They were all stitched together and made from materials like wool and linen, all crafted for the necessity of proper wear. Children wore clothing similar to what the adults wore, but in the winter time, it had a little extra layer added to it for the sake of their health. Their immune systems were not exactly strong. Babies were required to stay inside with their mothers at all times during the whole time span of the winter as these weak creatures couldn't even survive five minutes out in the cold.

If you had to ask a Viking what is the hardest thing to do during winter, then they would probably go with keeping food supply at a constant rate. Food was a very important source for the Vikings. Most of their bulky bodies had to contain food in order to survive and have the energy to fight in battles or raids. Crops and animals were raised on a farm, and because winters were so severe in Berk, animals had to be kept indoors and crops had to be gathered up for food as quickly as they could before snow storms arrive. Viking men did all the fishing whilst women tend to farm. As one can expect, food was more productive in the warmer climates than the colder ones. Berk was mostly cold during the whole year, but food production was at a higher level in spring and summer rather than in the winter. That's why Vikings had to do their best on keeping their food supply at a balanced proportion. There would be cases when snowstorms would just come out of nowhere and ruin their plants. When that happens, they would just have to eat all they could until it was over. As a culmination, fishing was still available, but not so much for farming. They had to rely mostly on the animals and the people who fish. Fattening animals before the winter was always a good effect on the village. More food meant more sustained Vikings.

A husky, short blond haired guy with a name that goes by Fishlegs, or sometimes Fishface by his ego friend, Snotlout, was sat comfortably upon his bed, a book in his huge hands. The guy was a strict bookworm, and would often study up on dragons. He was always excited when his dragon riding friends would go on missions to look for new species of dragons or saving them from the vicious Dragon Hunters/Trappers. Any type of mission involving dragons would excite the guy, and when told by his chief and leader about the adventurous journeys, his responses were completely geeky. Spazzing out about dragons and randomly spatting out dragon facts was what he did best. Next to Hiccup, he was the biggest dragon lover in Berk, and his friends couldn't simply deny the fact of it.

He licked a finger before turning the page to the next section. His green eyes locked onto the page as he scanned through the information. The facts weren't really a surprise to him. In fact, he had read The Book of Dragons for almost thirteen times now. He was a very smart guy and knew about almost every dragon species there was along with their unique abilities and features that were intact. Still, though, he loved reading the book despite knowing every aspect of dragon fact there was. Fishlegs cracked a small smile, perfectly content and peaceful in his little room.

His Gronckle, Meatlug, gently pushed open the door, causing a little squeak, with her strong head. She quickly noticed her rider on his bed and gave a smile. The dragon enjoyed Fishlegs being happy with his reading. The man would sometimes read books to her, which was their favorite past time together. Meatlug loved snuggling against him while she listened to him read. His voice alone would just leave her drifting off to sleep. She wouldn't trade anything in the world for bonding with her human. The Gronckle continued forward rather slowly, her round belly almost touching the ground.

Meatlug stopped at the bed and lifted her front paws before placing them on the bed. That caused the mattress to squeak a bit and the bed to shift slightly. She then turned over to Fishlegs, who's face was blocked out by the book he was holding. She decided to make no noise whatsoever, hoping that the bulky Viking could at least heed the sudden weight change of the bed.

The young man stopped briefly before peeking out from his book. He grinned at his pregnant dragon. "Hi, girl," he greeted softly. "How are you doing, huh?"

Meatlug emitted a low, friendly rumble in her throat and placed her front paws on the wooden floor. She wobbled a bit next to Fishlegs and gave a quick look at the book. The Book of Dragons like always. She swore that it was his most dedicated book of all time.

Not wiping away the huge smile he had on his face, he stretched out his hand and rubbed the Gronckle on her head. Meatlug gave him a loving, soft purr.

"How's your belly doing?" he asked. "I know that it has been hurting for a couple of days now. I hope the medicine that Gothi gave you works."

Meatlug nodded her head, showing him that the treatment worked. Pregnancy was not new for the dragon. She had a few pregnancies in the past, and they had all worked well, to her rider's relief. He didn't want anything bad to happen to his dragon and the babies. She was expecting to lay her eggs sometime this week when the dragons go to the island to lay their eggs. It was a tradition for the winter. Fishlegs was nervous, but positive about the new arrivals. If the past gestations and the babies were healthy, then this one would definitely go hunky dory. There was absolutely nothing to worry about.

"That's great! Are you excited to lay your eggs?"

The Gronckle gave an excited, gentle roar. She was ready to introduce her hatchlings to the world once they were hatched. She would teach them about all the wonders about being a dragon and how to survive and adapt on this sturdy little town along with the help of her favorite Dragon Rider.

"I'm excited, too! I can't wait to see the little ones. I'm sure they'll be perfect." Fishlegs rubbed her brown head.

Meatlug licked his hand and rubbed against it. Her pupils suddenly dilated into wide circles, staring at him expectingly. She quickly pouted at him.

"Oh, no you don't. That's not gonna work on me this time," he said. "You just ate an hour ago."

She whimpered, her heavy tail drooping and ears lowering. He knew about her cravings, and it was her last few days of the pregnancy. Surely he could reward her for making through another successful journey.

The stare went on for another minute before the man gave up and sighed. "Oh, alright, but only a small helping would do."

The dragon lightened up, and she gave him a big, wet kiss on his cheek.

"Ahh, okay, okay!" he laughed. "Now, please go. I have some reading to do." He shook the book a bit at her.

* * *

The village was filled with the high pitched voices of glorious, gregarious children, mixed in with their waves of laughter. Some of them built snowmen, the others built snow angels, made snow forts, had snowball fights... The winter cold couldn't stop these Berkians from celebrating Snoggletog, a holiday they celebrated every year. It was very much like Christmas. The holiday was the only upside to the disastrous winter season. It brought many spirits and laughter and joy to the Hooligans. They loved spending Snoggletog with their loved ones. It was one of the days that they _really _had time to just enjoy and relax together as a family. The Hooligans loved spending the holiday with their trusty dragons as well.

Like Christmas, the Vikings had decorations that they placed around the town. It made it look lively and marvelous. Decorated with colorful ornaments, wreaths, jingle bells, etc., the usually standard looking village was transformed into this festive winter wonderland. Snoggletog had traditions as well. Some of them were similar to Christmas, like, singing Snoggletog songs, opening gifts, having Snoggletog dinner.. those sort of things. One tradition (as mentioned) of the holiday was the dragons leaving to go to an island called The Blackberry to lay their eggs. After their hatchlings had hatched, they would return to Berk. A few other traditions were created by a young female Viking that went by the name of Astrid, and they were not pleasant, to say the least. The Vikings stuck to not celebrate the weird traditions. One of her traditions was an unappetizing drink called Yaknog. Gods, whatever she placed in that drink wouldn't even make Stoick the Vast drink that recipe. Her friends Hiccup and Snotlout didn't tolerate it even a little bit. The next tradition she had was a game called "missing toe", which involved punching a person that stood under the mistletoe instead of kissing them. With the results of these so-called "traditions", Astrid was NOT the type of person to come up to if one wanted to make new traditions for Snoggletog.

Fishlegs reading was disturbed by the chorus of joyous laughter of Viking children outside. Curiosity got the better of him, so he marked his place and got up from his bed. He stretched his big arms and then his stiff back, hearing it pop in place.

"Youch!" he yelled. "Gods, I really need to take breaks during reading sessions."

He rubbed the aching pain away from his back while walking to the front door. He opened it with his other hand. The husky Viking was confronted with a sudden blast of cold striking wind. He wrapped both of his arms around his square body and shivered.

"Brrr, the cold is really fighting with us today. Good thing I'm wearing warm clothes." His green eyes shifted to his brown fursuit. His ears then picked up on the sounds of squealing, laughing children. A nostalgic smile stretched on his face as he watched the children doing various levels of play.

"Oh, I remember having so much fun playing outside in the snow with Hiccup. We used to have the most snowball fights, and we would make snow angels and make snowmen... I had a wonderful childhood with him," he said while unraveling unforgettable memories in his head. He didn't really have that many friends as a boy. His friends, Snotlout, Tuffnut, Ruffnut, and Astrid, weren't really close to him. They would talk sometimes, but they weren't exactly his real friends. His only real friend at the time was Hiccup, a skinny, shy little boy with disheveled auburn hair. He used to get picked on a lot because of his small, skinny statue, and the fact that he was different from the rest of the Viking children. Fishlegs was bullied as well by them, but not as much as poor Hiccup. He noticed Hiccup and saw how lonely he was. Figuring out that he needed at least one friend, he gave him the opportunity and stepped right in. They became best buds since then. As for his other friends, they started to grow on each other as the years flew by. They stopped bullying him when he entered into his teen years, but Hiccup was still his best friend, and it would always remain that way.

"Fishlegs!" He heard a small, squeaky voice call to him.

The man scanned around, trying to make out the little kid's voice. The gathering parties of dragons and Vikings made it impossible for him to see the small individual he was looking for. Berk had been crowded with rescued and habituated dragons over the past year. Dragon Hunters kept popping up like rabbits, but they couldn't even stand the chance against the young chief of Berk and his dragon riding friends. Though strong and sneaky, they'd always fail at their missions. They could be defeated, but never stopped. That resulted in the numerous amount of dragons living and being sheltered in the village. The added buildings made for them presented that.

"Tait? Where are you? Come out so I can see you!" he told him as he walked forward a bit in the snow to get a better look.

"I'm right here, Fishlegs!" Tait exclaimed, jumping up and down and waving his little arms at him.

Fishlegs squinted his eyes. They made out the waverings of arms and a jumping child. Yep, that was Tait all right.

"I see you, Tait! Come here, I wanna see you!"

The five-year-old with scruffy light blond hair and pale blue eyes made way to the man, reckless about the inches of snow beneath his boots.

"Tait, watch out!" Fishlegs warned him.

The boy skidded to a halt before falling face first into the approaching pile of snow that lay a few inches in front of Fishlegs.

"Tait!" Fishlegs ran to the boy and pulled him out of the snow. He rubbed his hair to get the snow off of the messy strands. "You okay, buddy?"

"I'm okay, Fishlegs," he replied, wiping the snow from his face.

"You should be more careful next time." Fishlegs placed Tait down on the ground.

"I'm sorry, Fishlegs. I just want to learn more about dragons with you. We haven't read the Book of Dragons together in a while."

Tait was one of those kids who was _obsessed _with dragons. A lot of the Viking children loved dragons as much as Tait did, but he was just over the moon with them. He was like a small version of Fishlegs. He would often go to Fishlegs's house, with the permission of his parents, to learn and study about dragons. Fishlegs and his friends were always happy to see that the youngsters of Berk wanted to know about the features, unique abilities, and powers of the dragons. Tait was just a lively boy who was always eager to learn about dragons. The boy would spat out one random dragon fact each day, much to his parents' delight. They trusted Fishlegs for teaching their son about dragons, and they stated that he wanted to be a Dragon Rider one day, just like he and his friends. Fishlegs felt like a mentor to the boy. He was known to be very smart about his dragon statistics, but he was surprised he didn't go to Hiccup for studying. The chief was among the popular Vikings in town, and sometimes Fishlegs felt like he was in the background or invisible like a ghost. He was very flattered to have some sweet child look up to him like he was the almighty dragon whiz.

"You're right, Tait. Come on, let's do some good old reading." Fishlegs lend out a meaty hand to the child.

Tait shook his head, letting some hair fall into his eyes. He brushed it back and stretched his arms up in the air.

Fishlegs chuckled and picked him up without any hesitation. He walked inside his small house and closed the door shut behind them.

* * *

The cold, white month of December had whisked away before the Hooligans very eyes. It was tough, but it was not the hardest winter they had faced, seeing that they had witnessed far worse winters than the most recent one. There was only one snowstorm, which left the Hooligans to be surprised in bewilderment. Snowstorms were always common around December, and the minimum was two. Winter decided to be a little easier on them this time. The Vikings had a bit of luck out of the winter season.

For Fishlegs and Meatlug though, their luck had spiraled downhill. Meatlug was overdue with her eggs. She was supposed to lay them last month, but something happened. She returned back to the island with a still bulging belly, returning more slower than the other dragons. This incident worried both man and dragon. Meatlug was never overdue before. Dragon eggs were sometimes late, Fishlegs knew that, but Meatlug always had her eggs on time. Fishlegs became overprotective of his girl, making sure that she was well fed, getting enough sleep, and not leaving the house without his permission. He thought that his dragon was not stable enough for the eggs to come. That would all be taking care of under the protection of this dragon carer.

Tait was at Fishlegs's house again, not wanting to study dragons, but just wanted to visit and spend time with him. His curious blue eyes looked at Meatlug's hard stomach. The said dragon was laying on the wooden bedroom floor sideways, stomach exposed.

"Fishlegs?" Tait asked, swinging his little legs from the bed.

"Yes, Tait?" Fishlegs grabbed his cup of water and drank out of it.

"Where do babies come from?"

Fishlegs choked wildly while tempting to swallow. He placed his cup down on the table next to his bed and swallowed the choked water down his throat.

"W-what? W-why do you wanna know that?"

"I'm just curious. I know they are in their mommies' tummies before they are born, but I want to know how they are made and things like that."

"Uh... You have to be much older to learn about that, Tait." He rubbed his hair.

"Aww, why? I wanna know now!" he whined, crossing his arms.

"It's really for older kids. Trust me, you'll know when you're older," Fishlegs assured.

Tait sighed, his shoulder's drooping. "Alright, master," he said playfully before hopping down from the bed to go to Meatlug. He rubbed her outstretched stomach.

"I really do hope the eggs come soon. They are really late." Fishlegs frowned as he looked at Meatlug's belly.

"Maybe they don't want to come out." Tait patted the rounded surface gently with a small hand.

"They are stubborn little ones. I can tell they are gonna be some defiant baby dragons." The Dragon Rider managed a smile. He was already determining what their personalities were gonna be, and that gave him a bit of a small spark of delight inside.

"Fishlegs? I want a baby sister, but my parents told me I'll have to wait. I've waited long enough."

"Well, I think they are still thinking about it. Don't worry, though. I'm sure you'll get that little sister of yours." Fishlegs picked up his cup and drank his water again.

"I hope so. I think I'm gonna be a good big brother."

"I think so too, little buddy," Fishlegs grinned.

Then out of nowhere, the two heard groaning noises coming out of Meatlug's mouth. The dragon bundled up in the same position she was, acting like she was seriously cold. She breathed hardly before roaring in pain. The time had finally come: the eggs were coming.

Fishlegs jumped right onto his feet, hovering over Meatlug. "I-it's time! The eggs are coming! The eggs are coming!" he shouted.

"I'll go get Gothi," Tait assisted, running to the front door and out into the sheets of white.

"Be careful, Tait!" Fishlegs yelled out to him. He then turned to his girl, giving her calming strokes.

"Don't worry, girl," he said in a low, soft voice. "Everything's gonna be alright. D-Daddy's right here by your side."

The Gronckle was stiff but relaxed. Her rider's smooth voice, gentle approach, and easing strokes made the pain subside for a short while. Her mouth showed a sharp, toothy smile, giving off a quiet orchestra of purrs. Her yellow eyes were wide, her docile pupils no longer demonstrated she was in pain. With Fishlegs by her side, Meatlug was always in a happy mood, sensing that she was in contact by a warm, kind-hearted presence. Fishlegs was her special gift.

* * *

Over the next few hours, Fishlegs was a complete mess. Seeing his overdue, pregnant Gronckle in absolute pain made him want to list every fear and doubt he had in mind. The past witnesses were terrifying, but the man knew Meatlug was gonna be okay since he knew she was gonna be just fine. This one, however, was a petrifying guessing game. Overdue dragons could be lucky or very unfortunate. Meatlug was his girl, and as he promised, he was right by her side, coaching her and saying comforting words. Gothi gave Meatlug medicine to help soften the aches. Fishlegs didn't know the outcome of this experience. Things could turn out for the better or for the worse. He prayed to the Gods that things would go alright for Meatlug and the eggs.

When the eggs finally came, Fishlegs was in sweet relief. He waited tremendously long for the awaited eggs to come. The long hours of comforting Meatlug, pacing around back and forth, stress reading, and having worried/negative thoughts were awarded by three, beautiful eggs. All of the stress and anxiety melted away like nothing had happened once he saw that the beauties had arrived. Meatlug was happy and healthy, and the eggs were perfect. He considered celebrating privately with his girl, but the dragon was too tired to do so at that moment. The husky blond didn't blame her. She needed all the rest she could get before the eggs hatch.

Gronckle eggs hatch within a couple of weeks. Fishlegs couldn't wait to see the offsprings. He wondered what they were gonna look like and what personalities they were going to have. He made sure the unborn hatchlings were ready for hatching, sang to them, read stories, told them how much he loved their mother... Fishlegs remained in a positive mood for the sake of their births. A depressing emotion wouldn't do any good. The birth of babies was always an exciting time. These hatchlings were gonna be welcomed into the world with open, warm arms.. and wings. Both dragon mother and Dragon Rider would raise and teach the little ones, making sure they would be growing up into fine, strong dragons. Fishlegs visualized the offsprings exploding out of their eggshells in the water, small, but firm coos coming out of their mouths followed by them walking towards their new mother and Fishlegs. The Dragon Rider was expecting so much out of the tiny dragons. He had high hopes on the miracles making it into Berk.

What came next to them made all the sunshine, blue skies, and the new springs of life drastically blew away from Earth. The heart-wrenching terror was totally unexpected and uncalled for. Man and dragon didn't know this was going to happen in their lives. The two was heartbroken on what happened to the little ones... two out of three, and it only happened during the early hours of the morning. Late afternoon hadn't arrived yet. Just minutes after the newborn hatchlings, boy and girl had hatched from their eggs, taking their first breaths from the outside world, their little hearts had just... stopped, failed. Fishlegs should had noticed the signs. He did, but he had faith that they were strong, that they would survive from being born too weak. Hiccup sure did, being born prematurely. Those helpless little ones had the potential to live, but the low chances in survival overtook that. They were so weak that they couldn't even stand on their own. The weaklings were smaller than Fishlegs's big hand, and the two could fit inside there at one time. Meatlug and Fishlegs, especially the latter, couldn't believe what happened. It was like one never-ending bad dream they could never wake up to. The happiness and energy sucked out of him like a battery draining out all the power. A rain cloud was over the man's head, and he felt as weak as the once living hatchlings.

But one hatchling survived through it all. He was that one source of light that lit up the whole cave, the one that turned a traumatic cause upside down. A miracle dragon, he could be called. Meatlug was ecstatic to found out that one of her little ones... had lived! The little dragon had a hard time breathing, but he fought it off. This weakling was a little terror that could chew off wood from a tree branch. The news was one of the best things that Fishlegs had ever heard of. The hatchling cured a part of the anxiety that was built up inside the man. A large part of him was still down, but he held his spirits up for the newborn hatchling. He was the same size as his brother and sister, but despite his tiny appearance, he was a fighter. Fishlegs couldn't thank the Gods enough for this precious and worthy gift proudly earned to him and Meatlug. The little one was one lucky weakling.

Fishlegs watched the helpless hatchling sleep with his mother, who was curled up on the floor in his bedroom. Her son snuggled up against her warm body. Little purrs could be heard from him. The tender moment caused a delicate, sweet smile on the husky Dragon Rider, along with his friends that were sitting with him in his room. He invited them over to watch the eggs hatch, and they were just as sad as he was to discover the unpredicted deaths of the other two fragile hatchlings. They decided to stay longer to comfort their grief-stricken friend. Talking with his friends always seemed to cheer him up, though being left separated from the five could work as well as he would sit there and mourn over the two losses until eventually gaining back strength and dealing with it, just like his best friend Hiccup did with his dad and former chief, Stoick.

"He's a cute little guy," Ruffnut gushed, admiring the sleeping little Gronckle.

"I agree with my sister, here," Tuffnut responded. "He might be small, but he's tough. How did he even survive? From what I heard, weak hatchlings have a super low chance of survival. The little guy must be a super baby."

Astrid giggled. "He's a miracle. He basically fought hard and didn't want to let his weak stance take over his life. He hatched out of egg saying that nothing will stop him. One out of three hatchlings... He is so lucky to be here and to have his mother and you, Fishlegs."

Fishlegs blushed and looked at the little guy once more. "I'm so proud of him. I can tell he's gonna grow up big and strong. He already looks so much like Meatlug."

Meatlug's ears perked up when her name got mentioned. She gave a sleepy smile at her rider and thumped her tail on the floor softly. She then nuzzled her baby and went back to sleep.

"I have to admit that the dude is good looking for something so tiny. I'm not really a baby or hatchling person," Snotlout claimed.

"Well, you have to get used to him soon. Hatchlings are wild terrors that just like to run around everywhere," Tuffnut informed.

"It's not like I live at Fishface's house," Snotlout scoffed. "I know what baby dragons are like anyway. I don't need to be reminded of how they are like."

"I'm just saying. I can already picture him burping up a lava blast on you," Tuffnut chuckled.

Snotlout rolled his blue eyes. "Don't get your hopes up too high, Tuff. Hatchlings go on a terrible teething spree, so be prepared to get new boots."

"Oh, yeah? Well, he-"

Astrid stopped Tuffnut before the two could end up in a big quarrel. "Guys, that's enough. Let the new hatchling and Meatlug sleep."

"Yeah, you two. You don't want to get Fishlegs worked up," Hiccup said.

"Sorry, Chief," Snotlout mumbled.

"This is the time to be happy and spend time together. Not arguing over nonsense," Hiccup seriously told them.

The hatchling woke up from his slumber. His little mouth opened hugely to reveal a big mouth and some sharp, tiny teeth. Big yellow, curious eyes scanned across the room to find six humans conversating with one another. He wagged his tail and roared really quietly. Nobody seemed to have heard the little Gronckle. A wet substance than touched his head. He looked up to find his mother giving him motherly, affectionate licks. He purred by the congenial touch. He suddenly felt his stomach emanate a growl. The younging didn't have anything to eat since he first hatched. The only way to announce his needs and wants were by crying, the things that hatchlings usually did. So with that, he did his calling. The Dragon Riders averted to his attention.

"Aww, what's wrong, sweetie?" Astrid asked.

"Maybe he's..." Ruffnut began.

"Hungry!" Fishlegs finished. "He's hungry! I'm so sorry, little one. Fishlegs will go get you some fish."

"Fishlegs, if you want, I can get some," Hiccup offered. "You look stressed enough already."

"No, please. The hatchling is my responsibility, not yours. He needs to be looked after and cared for by me. Thank you for helping, Hiccup, but I really got this. I don't need any help," the man explained. He got up and proceeded to the door.

"Are you sure? You look tired," he pointed out.

"Yes! I mean," he sighed. "Yes, I'm sure." Fishlegs grabbed the handle and opened the door.

"Poor Fishlegs," Tuffnut said in empathy.

"He's so determined about the safety of the hatchling. You know how he is about dragons. Once he notices they are hurt or sick, he goes right into action. He has a weakling on his hands now. There's no doubt that he's gonna be thinking about him every day, every second. I'm just afraid he will put the dragon's needs over his own. The baby's health and safety are important, but it's important to watch out for your own as well," Astrid elucidated.

"Astrid has a point there," Hiccup responded. "Fishlegs is already so stressed and anxious. Taking care of a baby daily is hard work, and at this rate, it can get even worse. I know he doesn't want any assistance, but he's our friend. We have to help him for the sake of his health and well being."

"So, are you saying..." Snotlout started off.

"The baby can use some babysitters around here. If Fishlegs wants babysitters, of course. We don't want to pressure him."

"What? Nuh uh. No way," Snotlout repulsively said, shaking his head. "I'm not about to babysit some dang baby."

"Didn't you hear Hiccup? If he _wants _us to, we can take turns babysitting," Astrid restated.

"I'm not deaf, Astrid," Snotlout snapped. "I already said I'm not babysitting, so if he's asking for some, he has you five."

"Sounds like someone's a baby hater," Ruffnut whispered to her brother's ear.

"I'm not a baby hater!" Snotlout yelled, fury in his icy, blue eyes.

The loud tone of the stocky man's voice startled the poor hatchling, and it caused him to wail in fright.

"Way to go, Snotlout," Tuffnut said, unimpressed. "You made the baby cry."

"I didn't mean to, Tuff," Snotlout generally said.

"Aww, come here, little guy," Hiccup gently said to the terrified and hungry hatchling. He made his way to Meatlug and her baby, swiftly but carefully scooping him up. He walked back to the chair and stroked him. Upon doing this, he heard soft little purrs.

Fishlegs came back in with a bucket filled with fish. "I'm back. How's my baby doing?"

"While you were gone, Snotlout made the baby cry," Tuffnut tattled.

"I did that unintentionally!" Snotlout claimed.

Fishlegs patted the weakling on the head. "As long as he's okay, that's what matters."

The baby wiggled his nose from the unpleasant smell of the bucket filled fish. He furiously wagged his bulbous little tail, licking his small jaws all the while.

"I get the feeling that someone's hungry," Fishlegs playfully told his baby as he grabbed him from the chief's lap. He placed him delicately on the bed before picking out a couple of small fish from the bucket.

The little one didn't even think twice when he saw two delicious fish being laid on the bed, made fit for a dragon like him. He dove into his meal and ravenously ate the herrings.

"Wow," Astrid giggled. "The guy is really hungry."

"Not so fast, my dear hatchling. I don't want you to get a tummy ache," Fishlegs forewarned.

The hatchling finished his meal, licking his lips. He gazed at the bucket and then looked at Fishlegs. He opened his mouth and roared quietly.

"Begging for more, huh? Alright, just a few more, but that's it." Fishlegs grabbed a few more pieces of fish.

"Hungry little dude," Tuffnut smiled.

The gang instantaneously heard the door knocking.

"I'll get it," Hiccup said, getting up from his seat.

As soon as he opened the door, he saw Tait excitedly standing there. He couldn't keep his posture.

"Hello there, Tait," Hiccup greeted the boy. "I bet you came to see the new hatchling."

"Yes, I did!" Tait exclaimed in utmost excitement.

"Come on right in. He's in Fishlegs's room." Hiccup got out of the way and guided his hand towards the room.

Tait sprinted in the bedroom. When he got there, his eyes initially saw Hiccup's friends sitting in chairs. He gave a quick wave to them, and the young adults said their hellos to them. His pale, blue eyes gave a sparkle when he saw the baby Gronckle lying comfortably in Fishlegs's lap. He gave a quiet approach to the weakling and slowly stretched his hand out to pet his head in a kind, considerate manner. The hatchling looked at Tait with big, yellow eyes before leisurely closing his eyes. The boy's ears picked up carefree purring sounds and knew instantly that the weakling accepted him as a kindhearted juvenile.

"He's so cute and little," Tait said with a light, happy tone.

"Yep, he is," Fishlegs agreed. "He has a big appetite even though he is smaller than average. He's already full of surprises. He stunned me just after minutes of his birth. I thought he was not gonna make it, but he proved himself wrong."

Tait smiled at the shortly summarized story. He already knew the whole chapter. His parents told them the sad news of his siblings a while after the hatching. Tait was utterly surprised by what his parents told him next. The hatchling did have a chance of survival, and despite his weak image and temporary bodily function disorder from when he first hatched, he was a warrior. Upon first glance at his outer appearance, he looked small and weak, but inside, he was hefty, making his way through life with a grand entrance.

A loud rumble suddenly sounded across the entire room. It spooked the boy for a second, but then gazed down on the little dragon, assuming it came from him.

"Wow, little hatchling. Was that your tummy?" Tait asked, tickling his stomach.

"No, that was actually mine," Fishlegs admitted, patting his round belly.

"Fishlegs, did you eat breakfast?" Astrid inquired.

"Not exactly," the man sighed.

"Did you also skip lunch?" Hiccup asked.

Fishlegs nodded slowly. "I'm too worried about him. I'm so worried about the baby that I can't even chew. He needs me, and I'll do my best to take care of him until he grows up. For now, he is a weakling, and I want him to have a balanced, happy, healthy life. He has his mother and me who love him very much, and we want to raise him to be the best dragon he can possibly be. If he doesn't have an eligible and sustained life... I-I'll fail. I just want him to be the happiest dragon ever. And as for babysitters, I'm perfectly fine on taking care of him myself, thank you very much."

"So much for asking about babysitters," Tuffnut mumbled under his breath.

"Fishlegs," Hiccup started, "I know that you want to properly raise the baby and take him under your arm, but if you go too far about this, you'll be putting yourself down. Your health and nutrition are very important, and if those are low levels, then you won't be strong enough to take care of it. Please, take my word and don't be too anxious about him. He's gonna be just fine, trust me."

The husky man looked at his best friend that he knew for more than a decade. He knew he should trust the dedicated and diligent leader for the indispensable message, but his anxiety was not really controlled right now, and leaving the hatchling was the last thing on his mind. He didn't want things to trip up if he would leave the hatchling on his own. Being there for him at all times was what matters the most for the blond. The hatchling needed lots of attention.

"Hiccup, I want to do what you say, I really do, but I just can't control my anxiety right now. Thank you, though," Fishlegs truthfully told the leader.

"Alright, but eventually, you'll have to consider yourself," Hiccup seriously said. "I know anxiety is hard to get through, but watch out if it gets out of control."

"I will someday. I'll have to deal with this little guy first," Fishlegs said while gently scratching the hatchling's head. "I'm sure it will not get _that _out of hand."

"Hey, what are you gonna name him?" Snotlout asked. "We keep calling him 'hatchling', 'little guy', 'weakling'..."

"Oh, yes, a name! I did wanna name him Lucky, but I don't think it's the right fit for him. I mean, it is suitable considering the miracle event, but it doesn't quite match him," Fishlegs answered.

"So, what do you want to name him?" Tait asked.

The Gronckle rider placed a hand on his chin and looked down at the adorable baby, who was still lying on his lap. He then looked across the room to see Meatlug looking at him with a sharp grin on her face. He wanted a name that represented the desirable love for the baby from him and his mother. Fishlegs was not alone on raising the baby; Meatlug was his mother, and she would work as hard as Fishlegs was on taking care of the hatchling until he was grown. A name for him would show the loveable and responsible actions from Fishlegs and his girl while at the same time showing the individual, remarkable hatchling that proudly hatched from the egg that his mother laid. Everyone knowing his name would immediately know where it came from and why the caretaker chose it in the first place.

"I'm gonna name him Fishmeat," Fishlegs preciously said, snuggling his beloved hatchling. "My lucky little hatchling."

* * *

January soon turned into March, the month that spring arrives. That was always a sign of good luck for the Hooligan Tribe; they despised winter and its unfortunate events. It was winter all year long for Berk, but they had spring, summer, and fall, which was beyond superior to the freezing season they had for three months. The white sheets of snow and ice were gradually beginning to dissolve, and the green leaves of trees and new lives of flowers were sprouting with renewed, fresh life. The grass on the ground was becoming noticeable and the cold weather was renovated into warm weather along with the calm, warm breeze that would make one's skin feel like heaven and provoking a child or adult to run wild on the green hills, knowing that spring had returned yet again and that the animals were waking up from hibernation, gazing up at the blue sky with bright, wonderous eyes at the birds who were welcomed back to their habitats from migration and to build nests and lay their eggs for new lives to arrive.

Fishmeat had grown since his birth. He was still small, but he was bigger than he was when he first hatched out of his egg. The little dragon was turning into a hyper, energetic, rambunctious Terrible Terror. Fishlegs tore off more than he could chew with the flamboyant hatchling. Raising him was a huge chore he had to do, with the help of Meatlug. Fishmeat was _not _an easy baby to take care of. Fishlegs had to make way through his life for Fishmeat, and it was definitely not an easy task. Fishmeat couldn't fly yet, but he was a really fast runner. Sometimes, he would run away from Fishlegs on certain situations, and the husky would literally chase him throughout the town. Teething was another issue. Fishmeat was on an active teething spree, and many of the villagers, especially Snotlout, were not happy about that. His little teeth could make their way through anything the hatchling could bite or chew on. Boots were his primary victim. Fishlegs had to get a new pair of boots because his dragon chewed up his old ones. He wasn't very keen on that, but he knew Fishmeat was still a hatchling, and his baby teeth were not out yet. Bedtime was the worst problem for Fishlegs. Continuous nights on being awake by baby cries and calming him down was the most exhausting part ever for the man. And worse, Fishmeat didn't like bedtime, let alone naps. So, that was a mission putting the young Gronckle to sleep. Despite all of the time-consuming periods on raising Fishmeat, he still loved him deeply, and it was rewarding for the Dragon Rider to take care of his lucky dragon.

For the past couple of months, Fishlegs had turned into an overprotective mama bear. He wouldn't allow his baby to let out of his sight, watching him at all times. He had a backpack that he'd carry on his back, specifically for Fishmeat. Same thing with the attached pocket that he included on the front of his dragon scale armor. Snotlout said that he was acting like a maternal figure to Fishmeat, as he would sometimes read Fishmeat bedtime stories at night or sing him lullabies and made sure that he had proper hygiene by giving him baths. Along with that, he made a high chair for him and would make goofy noises/sounds and hand gestures that would pique Fishmeat's interest. Yeah, Fishlegs couldn't deny the fact that he had a maternal side to him, but he wasn't embarrassed about it. He was actually quite proud of it. During the first two months, his health and status were not in good shape. He was eating and even reading his books less often. His anxiety, stress, and lack of sleep were so bad, that Hiccup and his friends _had _to step in and lend him a hand, even if he didn't accept the offer. Hiccup noticed how awful he was looking, and being the good chief he was, he gave Fishlegs a proper lesson on making sure he was remotely healthy when taking care of Fishmeat. Being weak defeated the purpose of raising a hatchling since it required strength and a good attitude. A successful parent always made sure they maintained their health and positive attitude for the sake of their child. A sufficient image plus great health plus a happy and optimistic attitude equals the great experience of raising a child. Fishlegs finally took Hiccup's message and controlled his problems. But that didn't change the fact of being overprotective of the little one.

It was another morning in Berk. Fishlegs was asleep in his bed, laying in a comfortable position. For once, Fishmeat didn't keep him awake mostly for the night with his screaming and whining. He was relieved to get a good night's sleep. Fishlegs snored loudly, mumbling albeit while cuddling his pillow.

Fishmeat woke up from his slumber, stretching and giving out a huge yawn. He gave a little shake and jumped out of the circle of his mother's legs where he slept. He then ran to the bed and tried to get the snoring Dragon Rider's attention by managing a roar, though it came out as squeaky and little. He growled cutely, seeing that the Dragon Rider was not affected by it. Angered, he let out a scream, which woke his mother and Fishlegs.

"Ahh, Fishmeat!" Fishlegs cried. "Don't wake me up like that! I was having a really good dream!"

Fishmeat growled softly and wagged his little tail. He jumped up and down to bribe his attention once more.

"Okay, okay, I'm getting up," he said as he threw the covers off of him. "I reckon you want some breakfast?"

As if on cue, Fishmeat's stomach rumbled. He whimpered before licking his jaws.

Fishlegs picked up the hungry hatchling and tickled his tummy. "Alright, let's go to the mead hall. Meatlug, are you up?"

The mother dragon gradually woke up to the sound of Fishlegs's voice. She got up, sauntered over to him, and gave him a "good morning" lick. Fishmeat stretched out his little front legs to her.

Fishlegs patted his head. "Okay, let's go."

They went into the Great Hall, which was a collaboration between humans and dragons who would dine there. The Great Hall was also used for meetings, festivities, and a shelter in case the weather was really bad. The place was loud and hectic and often packed. Even when you arrived there early, the seats would mostly still be occupied. Chances are, you'd have to get there ridiculously early in order to find an affordable seat. Fishlegs went in the Great Hall later than usual, but he didn't mind because his friends always saved him a seat.

The Viking wavered his way through the crowds of people and dragons until getting to his seat. He greeted his friends and sat down before placing Fishmeat in his small highchair. He grabbed a spoon and scooped up some mashed food in a bowl.

"Here, Fishmeat! Look! Yummy food!" Fishlegs waved the spoon around and made noises similar to an airplane. Fishmeat's wide, yellow eyes traced every move of the spoon, and he stuck his tongue out. Fishlegs inserted the spoon into the baby's mouth. "Mmm, it's good, huh?"

Snotlout rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Fishface, can't you feed the baby, you know, normally?"

Fishlegs only shrugged. "It makes mealtime more fun. Besides, Fishmeat loves it. Don't you, my little baby?"

Fishmeat responded with a squeal, and he opened his mouth for more food. Fishlegs fed him.

"Well, it's disturbing me. Can you do that somewhere else?" Snotlout rudely asked.

"There's nowhere else to sit," Fishlegs replied.

"Just be quiet so I can eat," Snotlout snobbishly said.

"Gosh, Snotlout is so typical," Fishlegs told Fishmeat, continuing to feed him.

The little Gronckle growled in agreement, showing his deciduous teeth.

After breakfast, Fishlegs allowed Fishmeat to play with his mother outside, keeping a close eye on him. A thought abruptly popped into his head. That dream he had was a rather peculiar, but an amazing one. For a second, he thought he was just imagining he had the dream, but he didn't. The dream really did happen last night. The man thought that he would never dream or even think about his... girl. Heather, she was the girl of his dreams, the love of his life. The girl that she met was sweet, kind, brave, determined... He could do a long list of what made her so great. At first, she was prone to be sly and untrustworthy, deliberately lying and being secretive to people, and she was able to be smart enough to think her way out of trouble. But she was not necessarily evil, and she eventually changed her ways. Heather's history had a rather sad background. Heather was separated from her birth family at a really young age, and all she remembered was being a small child, feeling her father's sand course, but gentle huge hands. Her last possession of her father was this valuable horn that was given to her. She later got adopted, and when she was a young teenager, her parents were being held hostage by Alvin the Treacherous, the Chief of the Outcast tribe, for whom she was working with for the sake of her parents' lives. But unfortunately to the parents, their lives were no longer when they got killed by a raid in the village. Heather was always known to be sneaky; she once spied on the Dragon Hunters to study their actions with the dragons, and her brother, Dagur happened to be among them.

Dagur was her older brother, who Heather had hated with a passion. She believed he killed their father, Oswald the Agreeable, and wanted to get revenge on him for doing so, thus joining him. Heather didn't know that he was her brother at first, and when she realized the truth, she was in pure shock. In contrast with Heather to her brother, Dagur really cared for her and was willing to protect her from harm. He even risked his life for her, but Heather was still hostile to him. What changed Heather's mind about him was the letter he had left behind, stating that he didn't kill their father. Since then, their relationship had grown, and they had a momentous love for each other. They did a search for their long lost father (the letter claimed that he was missing), but Dagur found out that he was dead. Heather was devastated about this, but she knew that Dagur was her only family left. She later went to live on Berserkers island with him, her brother being the chief and her being his second-in-command.

Fishlegs let out a long sigh, stroking his yellow mustache in the process. He recalled all of the fun memories he spent with her. The most memory he had of her were exchanging messages to each other via air mail or Terror mail. It was a way they could keep in contact with each other after the Viggo affair. Viggo was a leader of the Dragon Hunters, and Heather got captured by him and the Dragon Hunters. The service was an ideal and fun way to conversate with her, and what was great about it was that it was kept in secret. They wrote many things to each other, and the letters were creative, sometimes funny and flirty. Mostly though, the letters from Heather sounded depressed since she was not in a good state, and she had gone through a lot. Fishlegs attempted to make her feel better through that mail service. His friends then noticed letters in the hut by a Terrible Terror carrying one of them, and he revealed the truth to them. He had to admit they did a good fortune. Without them, then Hiccup wouldn't suggest Heather be one of them, a Dragon Rider. Heather joined because of Fishlegs; she was the closest to him, and she wanted to move closer to him and have a better connection with the man. This made Fishlegs ecstatic; he was finally having his girlfriend be in the same occupation he was in and loved doing. Fishlegs gave her a tour of Dragon's Edge and even offered to build a hut for her. With Heather around, Fishlegs was in a happy mood. But all good things had to come to end, whether if it's temporarily or permanently. He found out that Heather had to leave Dragon's Edge in search for her father with the help of Dagur. Fishlegs was saddened about that, but he understood that her dad was her family, and she needed to find about him and her heritage. He deeply told her that he would always be there for her, even though they would be drifting apart. Her older brother assured him that Heather would be safe with him, and he trusted him. Sometime later, Heather lived in peace with Dagur on Berserker Island. A while after they held a ceremony for Gustav, who would become Dagur's apprentice. The Dragon Riders all got invited, and they reunited with them. Fishlegs and Heather continued to date, despite living in different places.

Fishlegs felt his heart lurch and his stomach rumble uneasily. He wanted to forget the bitter memory of that day, but he just couldn't. The day where they parted ways with each other, or in this case, breaking up their relationship, was unbearable to him. Since the broke up, his heart had shattered a million pieces, and it felt like it would never be fixed. The girl who he loved, cared for, shared interests with, connected with, was gone. They were still friends, but his life changed when Heather became his girlfriend. He gone on dates and spent unlimited time with the love of his life, and that was the role of Heather that he admired. The choice was not Fishlegs's, but Heather's. She was very reluctant and pained to tell him, but she had to. At least it was better than not showing up without saying anything. She was on the same terms as Fishlegs about the breakup. She gloomily told him that the reason they were breaking up was that she was getting fatigued on going back and forth to see Fishlegs. The distance between their homes was rather long, and it could be tedious to travel a long pathway. Those trips were rewarded by seeing her boyfriend, of course. Fishlegs couldn't blame her for being tired. He would've felt the same way if he had to do that, and Meatlug was a slower dragon than Windshear, her dragon. Although he apprehended her, he was emotional, and he couldn't bear to see his girlfriend slip away from him. And since that day, he frequently had dreams about her, dreams of getting back together and be the nice boyfriend and girlfriend they once were. The dreams had gone away for months, but last night, he had that dream again. It was confusing to him, yet he was really happy to see the image of Heather again.

The man felt a nudge next to him, and he cast down to see Fishmeat rubbing up against him. The little tyke whimpered, seeing that he was upset. Fishlegs smiled and lifted him off the ground.

"I'm alright, Fishmeat. I'm just... thinking." Fishlegs rubbed the baby's little, round tummy.

"Everything alright, Fishlegs?" he heard Hiccup ask.

Fishlegs frowned again and heaved a long sigh. "Not really."

"What's bugging you?" Hiccup placed a comforting hand on his husky friend's shoulder.

"It's about Heather," Fishlegs replied.

"Oh..." Hiccup just said.

The two stood there in awkward silence for a moment until Hiccup broke it. "Do you want to talk about it privately?"

"No, I'm fine out here," Fishlegs answered, beginning to put Fishmeat on the ground, but was met with a whine.

"Okay, okay, you can stay here with me." Fishlegs brought him back close to him, and he stroked the baby. Fishmeat licked him on the cheek in gratitude.

"So, what about Heather?" Hiccup questioned.

"I dreamt about her last night," Fishlegs claimed. "I know it's been a long time since I've done that. It felt weird but good. It was great to see Heather again, even if she only appeared in my dreams."

"You dreamt about her? That's odd. You haven't been thinking about her for months," Hiccup said.

"I know. I don't know why I started dreaming about Heather last night. Now that I did, I couldn't stop thinking about her."

"You still miss her, don't you?" Hiccup assumed, looking at Fishmeat who was licking his friend's finger.

Fishlegs lend out his pointing finger and allowed the hatchling to nip on it. He nodded slowly in response, showing sorrow in his round face and bright green eyes.

The chief put a reassuring hand on Fishlegs's back, doing circular motions to ease the internal pain his best human friend was feeling. He knew what it was like to lose someone he loved. Before he founded his long lost mother, his father was the only person he claimed as family. They had tough, difficult times with him in the past when he was just a lanky teenager that nobody admired. He tried his best to be a strong Viking like his father, but it only ended in anger and pure disappointment in the former chief. Stoick still loved him deeply, and he would never reject his son like that. He just expected better from him and wanted him to be as strong as he was despite his weak appearance. When Hiccup stopped the war between Vikings and dragons, Stoick changed his outlook on him, and the two strengthened their relationship with each other. When his dad died, a wave of grief sworn over Hiccup. His dad was a poignant figure who he adored and looked up to. He couldn't grasp all of his emotions at all in one time since the death just happened so suddenly; it was shocking to perceive the traumatic scene of his mind-controlled dragon shooting the brawny chief in a heartbeat, and he knew it wasn't entirely his fault. It was Drago's, the bloodthirsty dragon controlling fiend who wanted nothing more than to conquer the world with his army of both humans and dragons. Disbelief, guilt, denial, along with a wide range of emotions was what Hiccup dealt with. A very dreadful nightmare described the scene fairly well. When the funeral happened, Hiccup doubted everything he had done to displease him, and being the role of a chief was nothing he deserved. He sincerely apologized, his guilt for everything in the past building within him. His certainty of a chief was severely lacking. But being chief now, he had pride and loyalty. A worthy, wise, and profound leader was just a basic description. He was many things that made him a great chief that his father was. Stoick would be really proud.

"I know what it's like to lose someone," Hiccup said with a sad tone. "Don't think about her too much. She's moved on and so have you."

"But I miss her, Hiccup!" Fishlegs whined. "I.. I want us to get back together."

"Fishlegs, I know you want her back, but she has been away for a long time, and she hasn't even come back here to visit us," Hiccup clearly said.

"I just said I miss her, Hiccup!" the husky Dragon Rider yelled. "I miss her! I miss her! I miss her! I want our relationship back and to do all the things we used to do together. Every time I spend time with her, I feel like I have this special connection with her. She was the only person I told secrets with, well, other than you since we were young. Every time I see her beautiful green eyes and her gorgeous raven hair, my heart goes a million miles a minute. I miss her dearly, and I would do anything to bring her back here."

Hiccup listened to his friend's desperate measures for his former girlfriend. He felt sorry for him, and he wished he could do something to make it up to him, but Fishlegs wouldn't accept anything from people if he was feeling this sad. He noted the fun times the robust man and the skinny woman had together, telling dragon facts to one another, having dragon flights together, talking and laughing... The couple reminded him of him and Astrid. They were together since the teenage years, and his tough, but loving girl meant every dragon scale to him. He wouldn't trade her for the world. If she dumped him, he would be in the situation his best friend was in. Fishlegs took a liken to Ruffnut when Heather broke up with him; Fishlegs and Snotlout often fought over her to see who she would choose. It wasn't until after his dreams of Heather that Fishlegs had a crush on Ruffnut. He took a chance to start things over. It seemed like now he wanted his past life with the first girl he fell in love with.

"Look, I'm really sorry about what happened between you and Heather. You are worried about it, and I completely understand that. But the past is the past. You just need to learn how to accept that. I can see that she has made you really happy, and I'm glad about that, but you have other things in your life that you care about, like your friends and your dragons."

Fishlegs said nothing and only looked down at Fishmeat he was still holding. He was currently asleep. Fishlegs cradled him gently and looked back at the chief.

"Don't stress about her too much," Hiccup continued. "Your life is already great as it is. You have a lot of things to love and appreciate. You have blessings that matter to you, like Fishmeat." He looked at the little dragon sleeping in Fishlegs's left arm.

"Worrying about another thing after previously worrying about something else will leave you no good. Just relax, take a deep breath, read a book, eat something. Do something that will make you feel better. Forget about your depression and just be happy and do what you love to do."

The words of wisdom from the chief lightened Fishlegs's face after taking in everything he just said and thought about his favorite things he already had in his life. Heather was an extra being entered upon his life and spent all the time he needed with her. Everything else was there before she entered. The man inclined to cherish them until his time of life was up.

"Oh, you never fail to make me smile, Hiccup. What did I do to receive a best friend like you?" Fishlegs embraced him with his one free arm.

Hiccup giggled and broke apart the hug. "Anything for a friend, Fishlegs. If you ever need anything, you know who to go to."

"You do too much for me, Hiccup," Fishlegs chuckled.

"Hey, I gotta do what I gotta do. I always have your back. And in the words of Dad, 'A chief protects his own'," he mimicked, doing an impersonation of his father.

Fishlegs laughed, holding his belly. Fishmeat squirmed in his arm.

"I have to put Fishmeat down for his nap. I'll see you later, Hiccup. Thanks for everything." He turned around and walked towards his home.

"No problem! See you!" Hiccup exclaimed with a wave.

* * *

"Fishmeat!" Fishlegs called. "Where are you?"

Meatlug roared loudly for her three-month-old son. She listened for a sound from Fishmeat, but nothing occurred. She glared her eyes impatiently and huffed. The mother waited for ten minutes for her little dragon to return, but there had been no sign of him. Fishmeat could be stubborn sometimes, if yet, defiant. Fishlegs left them alone outside to lay around and doze off. When the two was sleeping, Fishmeat apparently woke up first, and he went off somewhere to do some mischief or something that he did. Meatlug was the one who usually woke up first, and it gave her a bit of her surprise when she saw her son missing the first time she opened her eyes from her nap.

"Fishmeat! Come here!" Fishlegs yelled once more.

Again, no response.

Fishlegs sighed. "I should've been out here instead of going back inside to read. I promised to take really good care of him, but obviously, I failed."

Meatlug whimpered and rubbed her heavy head against his side. She then gazed up at him which told him, "You didn't fail. Everyone makes mistakes."

The husky man pulled a slight grin and caressed his girl's head. "Thanks, girl. What can I do without you?"

Meatlug let her eyelids close over her eyes in relaxation, purring in satisfaction in the process. Her rider's easing strokes were always so consoling and tender. His hands felt like blankets as they were often warm. The protective and loving character of Fishlegs was what she positively adored out of him. Her tail went back and forth a bit, and her hind leg begun to thump quietly on the ground. She could stay there for hours and hours and...

"MY BOOT!"

The scream from Snotlout abrupted their cozy, little scene. They both knew what was going on.

"Guess we found, Fishmeat," Fishlegs said. "Come on, Meatlug!"

They raced over to the sound of the yell to find the hatchling chewing on Snotlout's right boot. Everyone knew that a baby dragon's worst stages were the teething stage. They would literally chew on _anything. _Fishmeat was a baby Gronckle who just loved gnawing on stuff, and it would be annoying at times, but Fishlegs knew he was only a baby and had little dragon teeth that needed to fall out and be replaced by grown-up ones.

"Fishlegs! Get your boot damaging baby away from me!" Snotlout demanded angrily.

"Fishmeat! Come here!" Fishlegs sternly told him.

The Gronckle stopped and ran to the husky man. He jumped into his opened arms and licked his pudgy cheek, which made him giggle. Fishlegs couldn't be mad at him. His baby was teething, and it was normal for all young dragons. You could not argue with a dragon expert here.

"Um, hello! Angry Viking here!" Snotlout alerted.

"Oh, uh, sorry about that, Snotlout. Fishmeat is on a terrible teething spree. Aren't you, my little baby? Yes, you are," Fishlegs told Fishmeat in a baby voice and scratched his head gently. Fishmeat wagged his tail and roared happily.

"This is not a time to be playing around, Fishface!" Snotlout snapped. "My boot is covered with drool and teeth marks, and I need to get new ones!"

"That's not my problem, Snotlout. Fishmeat is only teething. You know how they are with that stage."

"But I hate it! I can't stand it! That baby of yours is chewing on everything lately, and it's driving me crazy!" Snotlout ranted.

"His gums are in discomfort! He's not doing on it purpose! He means no harm, even if he is damaging things a little," Fishlegs defended.

Snotlout snorted and gritted his teeth. "Just keep him away from me, you here? I don't want to see that drooling, loud, annoying baby!"

"Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today," Fishlegs said. "And he's not annoying!"

"Whatever. Just take that tiny tot with you and leave," he annoyingly said.

"Fine. Come on, Fishmeat. Let's get away from the grumpy Viking."

The trio left the irate Viking, who was looking at his chewed up boots and grumbling.

It was another sleepless night at Fishlegs's house. Fishlegs and Meatlug was so fed up with the infant's constant crying. They tried everything to calm him down and get him to sleep, but nothing could settle the hatchling down. Fishlegs would get his friends, but he didn't want to disturb their sleep and end up in this mess. He knew how Snotlout was with his beauty sleep. One little sound and he would go nuts.

Fishlegs rocked Fishmeat back and forth and started to sing a lullaby he knew from his parents when he was little. Fishmeat kept crying, ignoring the lullaby. Fishlegs groaned.

"You're not hungry, you're not thirsty, you don't want to go to the bathroom, you don't want a lullaby, you're not teething right now," Fishlegs listed. "What is wrong with you?"

Fishlegs was at the point on pulling his hair out. His baby was so fussy and feisty tonight, and nothing would work. On the past nights he was like this, something would work, but tonight, he was an unstable, cranky Gronckle.

"Please go to sleep, Fishmeat. Please," Fishlegs begged.

Fishmeat looked into the exhausted Dragon Rider's green eyes and whined. His mother fell down onto her side in extreme weariness, making a loud thud sound as she did so. She couldn't compete with him anymore.

"Yeah, I feel you, Meatlug. I'm so tired. All I want to do is just go to sleep. I just wish Fishmeat would stop crying." Fishlegs rubbed his droopy eyes with one hand, holding the fussy hatchling in the other.

"Well, it looks like we are gonna be pulling in all nighter tonight. This little one is killing me," Fishlegs told the already sleeping Meatlug.

He sighed. "I'm on my own now."

"If you could just tell me what's wrong, I would help you and get a good night's sleep," Fishlegs gently told him.

The man suddenly had an idea. He sang some lullabies to him to help him go to sleep, but obviously, they didn't succeed. Maybe he only needed a certain lullaby for the baby. He remembered that one time Heather sang a lullaby to get a baby Death Song, who was in a similar situation as Fishmeat, to be quiet and go to sleep. He smiled at the final solution to all of his (and Fishmeat's) problems.

_"The sky is dark, and the hills are white,_

_As the Storm King speeds from the north tonight_

_And this is the song The Storm King sings,_

_As over the world his cloak he flings._

_Sleep, sleep, little one, sleep_

_He rustles his wings and gruffly sings,_

_Sleep, little one, sleep"_

The soft and gentle tone of his singing made Fishmeat fall right into sleep. He snored quietly in the husky man's arms.

"Yes!" Fishlegs beamed quietly. "I did it! I did it!"

He walked over to where Meatlug was sleeping and settled him down into her arms. He grinned softly at his now peaceful baby. He kissed him on his forehead.

"Goodnight, Fishmeat. I love you."

The next afternoon, Fishlegs was all prepared and ready for action, flight suit on and ready to go. Hiccup recently reported Dragon Trappers in a dense, foggy area, not too far away from the village. Those dragon hungry attackers were always up for hunting and preying on their victims. Unlike the Dragon Riders, they saw dragons as a threat and claim them as enemies of humans. They thought it was prosperous that dragons could coexistence with humans and live in eternal peace and harmony. The wise and confident words of the chief were nothing to their ears, believing them to be foolish and ridiculous. The cruel minds of the dragon thieves would always stick to their claim: dragons were nothing but ruthless monsters who were violent to mankind. Fishlegs would never hesitate to back down from a fight, saving poor, innocent dragons were what he and his friends did best. He had a huge heart for them and just thinking about those poor creatures locked up into cages with no freedom to stretch their wings and fly high into the sky made his heartbreak. Freedom for each and every dragon was what he ever yearned for, but the monsters stepped in every way of his dreams. Every time he turned around he was in a mission to free the dragons. He was sick of them, and he wished they didn't exist in the first place. His ancestors were true Dragon Hunters once. When he first discovered that, it was hard to believe as Fishlegs was known to be a dragon geek and the master of doting dragons. If he could have the will to change the nasty hunters' mind, he most certainly would.

Fishlegs silently hid behind a crate on the ship, following his chief's order to stay in secret until his appearance. He briefly peered over to see a Dragon Trapper patrolling the ship for any intruders. A caged dragon whined in terror, which caused him to slam the cage to hush the frightened dragon. Fishlegs winced.

"Poor fellow," he whispered in empathy. "I'm so glad that's not you, Fishmeat." He glanced down at the equally terrified baby in the pocket. He patted his little head with a mittened hand to calm the shaken up infant.

Fishmeat peeked out of the pocket and placed his paws on it. He scanned around the dark, unfriendly place with his huge eyes of his. He sniffed around and shivered. The setting of a foggy area and eerily ship with caged dragons made his little heart pound anxiously, shaking like a pair of maracas. He tensed up before letting out a petrified wail.

"Shh, Fishmeat!" Fishlegs silenced him not too loudly, the mannerism of his lowering hands was meant to quiet the baby.

Fishmeat turned to him and whimpered quietly, still slightly shivering.

"I know you are scared, little one, but we should not let the Dragon Trappers know we are here. Hiccup said this is a stealth mission," he told Fishmeat with the hushed volume of his voice.

He swayed back and forth a bit, wanting to let his body have some movement before breaking free from his designated hiding spot. He had to admit he was getting cramped up from staying still too long, and he was not even in a claustrophobic space! Sitting in this type of situation was the same thing as standing, blood flow decreasing with less active blood cells carrying the desired oxygen one needed for living. Fishlegs didn't have ADHD, but he hated standing/sitting still like a statue for an extended period of time.

"Come on, Hiccup," he mumbled pleadingly. "Please give us the signal already."

Fishmeat sighed. He was just as bored as Fishlegs was. Staying in the pocket was more fun than in the state they were in right now.

"Okay, I have to move. I can't stay here another second."

So with that, Fishlegs carefully ran out from his hidden spot in search for another hiding place he could stay at. He constantly checked the pocket to make sure Fishmeat didn't escape as he sometimes had the intention to do so.

It didn't take long for him to find an alternative place to his original location. Only it was in a high place, and it would take some good maneuvering skills to get up there. Fishlegs might had been big boned, but he was capable of climbing and jumping, sort of like a spy. He narrowed his forest green eyes determinedly and precociously hopped and climbed on cages and stuff like a monkey. He made it to the platform with ease. His heart beat like a banging drum with all the strength and muscles of his husky body he had to use.

Fishlegs panted and rested a hand on his wide chest. "Woo made it."

Fishmeat took note of how tired he looked, seeing some sweat bead from his forehead. He licked his chin and nuzzled it.

A lighthearted smile appeared on the Dragon Rider's face, and he rubbed the infant on his head. "Thank you, Fishmeat. I needed that."

A spark of flames caught Fishlegs's attention. He peered down to see Hiccup with his fireproof (thanks to the dragon scales) Night Fury dragon armor, his hand holding his flamed filled inferno sword. His face was covered with a matching mask. Fishlegs thought that it was a very smart idea for Hiccup to have him and his friend's make armor with the design similar to the scales of their respective dragons for battling purposes. He let them use their craft making skills to brainstorm, visualize the models, and put their own thoughts and ideas to uniquely assemble their suits, all with just a magic touch of creativity. They were incredibly useful for battling, preventing accidents like wounds, scrapes, and cuts, and with the help of the attached dragon scales, the suits were fireproof. Each suit had protective accessories like helmets, legs, gloves, etc., with an incorporated flight suit used for gliding and flying in the air. Those particular pieces were sturdy, and they held up acceptably well. Snoutlout's cape, however, was prone to get caught and stuck into places. Not a wise choice for him to add that "noteworthy" scaled piece for people to be sucked in and take a gander at. His chances to look impressive, brave, and fierce could go a little too far, especially if he was a man with a big ego and obsessed natures to display attractiveness and perfection.

Ivar the Witless squinted his eyes, his lantern held up close to him, to get a better look at the sneaky chief. "What are you?" he asked.

Hiccup placed a finger to his concealed lips. "Shh..."

Ivar picked up fierce sounds from a growling animal. He turned around to see the alpha dragon, Toothless climbing down a cage like a panther stalking its prey, his spines glowing blue. It was a sign to attack his enemy.

Ivar aimed at Hiccup with his spear, his victim dodged the attack and fought back. Fishlegs watched the fight with an intrigued expression on his face. His eyes got wide when Ivar dropped the lantern, which caused flames to emerge from it.

He covered his eyes. "Oh, I can't watch! Wait, Hiccup's armor is fireproof... I forgot..."

The Dragon Trapper watched in fear as Hiccup and Toothless step out from the flames unharmed. He got scared and pointed a shaky finger at the chief.

"AHH, YOU'RE A DEMON!" he screamed.

"Shhh! Shh, shh, shh! No, no! I'm not a demon! I'm not a demon!" Hiccup quickly told him. He then took off his mask to reveal himself.

"See? Just a guy! Just a guy, here to rescue these dragons, so..."

"Just a guy?" Fishlegs said in annoyance. "You're the chief of Berk!"

Fishmeat yipped in agreement.

Before Fishlegs knew it, Snotlout came in the action scene, wanting to get a "big action entrance" before any of his friends. Snotlout didn't pack any surprises, he always wanted to go first and be ahead before anybody. If he didn't pay attention to that, he would've been mindful on thinking and fireproofing his bottom to prevent any dangers.

Fishlegs facepalmed. "Oh, he'll never change."

The twins popped in right after Snotlout. Another entrance that was too soon. Then again, they always came in too early during battles. You could never break those two apart. They faced everything together through thick and thin.

Fishlegs decided this was the chance to hop right on in. Everybody was starting to reveal themselves without Hiccup specifically giving them the signal...

"Alright, here it goes..." He took in a deep breath and jumped off, diving downwards. The attempt on flying properly failed as his wings malfunctioned. He landed on his back on the deck and struggled to get up.

"Fishlegs, again with the baby?" Hiccup asked him. "This is a raid."

"I couldn't find a sitter," Fishlegs replied. Hiccup wanted Fishlegs to find a babysitter for Fishmeat so that he couldn't go into any more dangerous battles, but the husky man was hesitant. But then the chief got him when he told him that was in order. Obeying the leader, he went to go find one but didn't find anyone who would take care of him. Fishlegs was glad though because his little one wouldn't have to be away from him. If Fishmeat wasn't more than a foot from him, he would be fine. Anywhere past that and his mama bear instincts would go crazy. As long as Fishmeat was in the pocket where he could keep an eye on him at all times, he was in good hands.

Fishmeat gurgled and got out the pocket. He smiled at Toothless and stood up on his little hind legs like a puppy dog before falling over on all fours. He pawed the alpha playfully and wagged his tail.

Toothless gave him a serious look which meant, "It's not time to play right now, little one." Though, his green eyes showed a kind feature to the baby.

The crew went on and did some work freeing the terrified, caged dragons. Fishlegs opened one and saw a Crimson Goregutter dragon right before his eyes. It got him ecstatic hence he studied them for all his life and had always wanted to meet one. The gigantic boulder class beasts may look threatening, but they were actually docile softies, not much different from Gronckles.

"Ooh! A Crimson Goregutter! Ooooh, hoo, hoo!" he spazzed in delight.

Fishmeat was gleeful about this too and chittered in excitement from the pocket. The huge creature gazed down at the infant, studying him, also bewildered that a baby was at a battle. He couldn't regret that it was a cute, innocent dragon, thus casting a friendly smile at him.

The other Dragon Trapper noticed that the Dragon Riders were freeing the trapped dragons. "Attack!" he yelled at the other Trappers.

The two teams got busy attacking each other, their faces covered up with masks and weapons in hands. Fishlegs kicked a trapper who was running straight to him and his baby. When he began to get up, he forcefully punched him in the face with one hand and covered Fishmeat's wide eyes with the other. Violence was not a cute sight for babies.

Fishlegs ran away before the unconscious man had the strength to get up again. He got to a place where he could rest for a bit, taking Fishmeat out of the pocket. He was hesitant on putting him down because he would run off somewhere and potentially get hurt. He knew his baby, and he wouldn't even let a scratch on him.

A Dragon Trapper stalked Fishlegs from above on a cage. An evil grin went off, and he jumped off to attack the husky Dragon Rider, his weapon prepared in a hand. He swung it to hit him but accidentally hit his teammate who was doing the same thing in front of Fishlegs. Fishmeat jumped out of the pocket in fright, and the Crimson Goregutter whacked the first Dragon Trapper to the ground.

"No no no no no!" Fishlegs instantly scooped up the runaway hatchling.

Fishmeat looked at the Crimson Goregutter and a happy, little roar escaped from his mouth. The dragon purred and grinned at the lucky infant.

"Woo, thank you, buddy. We needed that," Fishlegs said before looking down at Fishmeat. "Don't ever run away from me again, you hear?"

Fishmeat wagged his tail and licked the husky blond's cheek. Fishlegs laughed and petted him.

The Dragon Riders, along with the rescued dragons, returned to Berk safely with no single mark on their bodies. The village was gonna be even more crowded with the newest additions. Fishlegs wasn't even bothered not only the slightest bit. He was happy to see rescued and habituated dragons residing safely in Berk. But the more dragons they add, the bigger of a target they became. Berk was famous for dragons, and trappers and hunters longed for them to suffocate and be no more. The chief of Berk wouldn't allow that now that he was in charge despite discerning that they came to Berk more often with the hundreds of dragons living in harmony with the humans.

Fishlegs was with Fishmeat, still in the pocket, and Meatlug. He rubbed the mother dragon's head. Fishmeat glanced to the side to see the Crimson Goregutter, his hero, standing at the core of the village, observing the activity and interactions between Vikings and dragons and parents and their children. His interested eyes turned into pools of sadness, eyeing them to the ground below. Fishmeat noted the loneliness radiating from the giant. All he needed was a friend to play with. The hatchling knew it was the chance to interact with the Goregutter, so he sprung out from the pocket to greet him.

"Fishmeat!" Fishlegs exclaimed. He then saw Fishmeat wanting to play with him. "You found a new friend!"

The Goregutter felt something climbing up his leg. Surprised, he gazed down to see the baby Gronckle at play in front of him. He smiled widely at this and bounced along, shaking the place like an earthquake was happening. He jumped close to the buildings where the dragons were at and clumsily bumped into one. The home collided into another, and it repeated like dominos clashing into each other. Before a dragon could catch fish, they fell into the ocean with a huge splash.

"Ugh! What good is having the King of Dragons around if he can't keep the order?" Gobber, formerly a blacksmith but now a dragon dentist and doctor, complained.

"Hey, bud, do you wanna do something here, or...?" Hiccup looked at the Night Fury.

Toothless roared at the Goregutter to not cause any more nonsense. Fishmeat got startled and ran back to Fishlegs and his mother. The beast bowed his head in apology and respect for the King of Dragons.

"Fishmeat! Come here, my silly baby!" Fishlegs called to the running baby with opened arms.

Fishmeat jumped into them and gave him a shower full of lovable baby dragon licks.

The man laughed. "Okay, okay. I love you, too!"

"You need a bath, Fishmeat," he told him as he observed the dirt that was on the hatchling's body, the mess made by the Crimson Goregutter.

"You stay right here with your mommy and I'll go get the tub." Fishlegs placed Fishmeat next to Meatlug and walked off.

Fishmeat sat on his haunches and watched the Goregutter and Tait play together, laughing and having fun. He sulked and averted up to his mother with wide, yellow, begging eyes. She leaned down on his level, nuzzled him motherly, and pressed her pink tongue against his head. Fishmeat beamed and nuzzled her nose thankfully. He ran off to the two without any second thoughts. Meatlug breathed a giggle.

A minute or two later, Fishlegs came back with a wide barrel. He set it on the ground and turned to Meatlug. "Hey, where's Fishmeat?"

Meatlug gestured her meaty head to the trio. Fishlegs smiled and shook his head.

"Alright, I'll let him have his fun for half an hour," Fishlegs promised.

Thirty minutes had gone by like a speeding car. Fishlegs closed his book and got up to stretch.

"Time goes by really quickly, huh, Meatlug?" he asked her. The mother dragon nodded in reply.

"Fishmeat! Time for your bath!" Fishlegs called out.

"Ooh, a bath!" Tait exclaimed, running over to the chubby Dragon Rider. Fishmeat trailed behind.

"Can I help, Fishlegs? Pleeeaassseee?"

"Of course you can, Tait. Fishmeat is a little feisty when it comes to baths, so I do need the help," Fishlegs answered.

Tait grinned enthusiastically and placed the squirming infant into the bath. He screamed and splashed around, struggling to get out.

"Shh, Fishmeat. It's okay," Fishlegs told him calmly, lowering the sponge down on his back.

Fishmeat winced a little as Fishlegs rubbed the soapy sponge along on his little back. A bubble formed from the scrubbing and his curious, wide eyes followed the bubble. The round substance was about to float out of the tub, but the hatchling wouldn't allow that. He growled and jumped to catch the bubble in his mouth. He actually did and swallowed it. A rumble went off in his tummy, and he went crossed eyed, burping the not digested bubble right out of his system.

Tait was on the floor laughing, holding his tummy as he tried to breathe from the hilarious episode. "T-that! Was so f-funny!"

"It was!" Fishlegs laughed. "Oh, Fishmeat, what am I going to do with you?"

The boy got up and wiped some sweat from his forehead. "Can I do his tummy next?"

"Sure thing."

A cute bathtime moment later, Fishlegs dried off Fishmeat with a towel. "See, Fishmeat? Bathtime's not so bad."

"Wow, you look so clean, Fishmeat," Tait commented.

The hatchling moaned in content and ran to the little boy, placing his front little legs on him. Tait giggled and patted Fishmeat's head.

"You two go and play for a bit," Fishlegs said. "And make sure you stay close where I can see you."

"We will, Fishlegs!" Tait obeyed. "Come on, Fishmeat, let's play tag!"

Fishlegs grinned when he watched them run off into the distance. He sighed happily and rubbed his girl's ear. Fishmeat was such a joy and blessing in his life. He was glad to experience raising a hatchling that made his life on Berk nearly perfect. The infant was feisty, rambunctious, carefree, happy, difficult to handle at times... That was his special baby all right, and he wouldn't have asked for anything else but his lucky little hatchling. He couldn't believe the tiny weakling (strong interior without a doubt) who had hatched on that particular day was running around wildly with his four little feet padding on the ground. He didn't have the full strength yet to go past his walking state, but he did now, and he was proud to perceive the smallest, but greatest changes in his baby's life. Fishmeat had a blessed life with a healthy, round tummy and fantastic people who loved the infant, especially his thrilled mother. The village was small but filled with a rich, glorious life, and Fishmeat happily resided in it. Fishlegs had spent all of his life in this town, and he was overjoyed that Fishmeat could get to grow up in the same village he grew up in. Berk had upsides and downsides; perfection would be repetitive and would not provide the uniqueness the village naturally had.

* * *

Fishlegs wouldn't have thought that he would have to move from his hometown so soon, sooner than he originally had in mind, which was, well, _years _from now in case something tremendously awful would had happened to it. In the other hand, he also had another thought about staying at his little village forever. Not all things stay the same, and the Hooligans had to emigrate for a suitable reason: safety for them and their dragons. The village was overcrowded with the creatures, and hunters and trappers appeared more often because of that. Rescued dragons who seek refuge there were ironically going back to their original routes with the bad guys. Hiccup had that in mind, and wanting nothing more than the dragons and his people to be safe, he thought about moving to this secret place called the Hidden World, where all dragons big and small, old and young lived in incessant peace without a single speck harming their scales. His father told him about the mythical, old legend when he was just a young boy, teaching his son where all the dragons were housed in so that when his boy got older, he could eventually seal it up and the war between dragons and Vikings would be over. But his father knew nothing of what Hiccup would become. The chief arranged a meeting about the problem just last night before they evacuated the next morning. He spoke all they needed to hear with a serious look in his green eyes. From the notes and maps about the Hidden World to the long-awaited issue that needed solving. His father told him to protect the village of seven generations, but he knew that Stoick wanted him to be safe. Therefore came their exodus journey to the sanctuary place.

There are many things to consider when traveling with a baby, but the number one priority is to always be prepared. Fishlegs was hands on deck prepared for the trip, bags filled up with his and Fishmeat's things and planned bathroom breaks; Fishmeat used the restroom a lot since he had little to no bladder control with the result of the entire crew stopping just because of restroom breaks, much to Snotlout's dismay. Fishlegs couldn't contain his excitement about his new home; no worries about Dragon Hunters and Trappers and living in peace sounded like heaven to him. He was sure that Fishmeat was gonna love it. The husky blond would miss the fun times, relationships, and memories he had made in the sweet village of his. He grew up there, and he had a wonderful time raising Meatlug and Fishmeat. The infant might not remember the short time he lived there, but Fishlegs would always remember the day that Fishmeat hatched. Unforgettable Snoggletog times and the playful times with his first friend Hiccup took a very special place in his heart, and he would cherish them forever.

Fishmeat was not a sustained hatchling during the trip. He was a really good baby, but when it came to staying still in the pocket for a long time, he got fussy. The journey was the longest he ever had to stay in there, and the younging cried a lot. Fishlegs made him quiet by reading his favorite stories to him (and the Book of Dragons), singing lullabies, giving him food, and playing baby games. Parents would say that it was a chore to get their babies to calm down, but Fishlegs really enjoyed it at times; it created a special bond between the caregiver and hatchling, and it made it all the more fun to spend his precious time with him. It was tiring at times, but worth it. Fishmeat was an energetic, bouncy bundle of joy.

Fishlegs burst his way through the crowd of dragons, holding a crying Fishmeat in his arms. "Excuse me. Coming through. Just skipping through here."

He grabbed a rock from his pocket, feeling the baby prance all over him. "Fishmeat, look! Eat your rocks. Eat your rocks." He took Fishmeat off of his head and fed him a piece. He then patted him softly on the back to burp him.

"Gah! People who fly with babies are the worst!" Snotlout ranted before ducking from an incoming lava blast Fishmeat burped up.

"That was a big burp, Fishmeat. Yes, that was." Fishlegs tickled the infant's tummy, which made him laugh.

A green and orange Snafflefang dragon flew right beside Fishlegs. When he heard it roar, he turned to the side, seeing his parents, Agnes and Dustin, riding on him. They were almost replicates of their son with the two of them having blond hair. Agnes had blue eyes, and Dustin had green eyes. Both were kind, caring, and gentle like Fishlegs.

"Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad," Fishlegs greeted.

"Hey, son," Dustin replied. "How's the tot doing?"

"Good... for now."

"Poor dear, he's been cranky the whole ride. He reminds me of you when you were a baby," Agnes said.

"Mom!" Fishlegs blushed. "Not out here!"

"I wasn't going to say it! Although you were cute and had those chubby little arms and legs..."

"Mom! Please!" Fishlegs begged, his cheeks still red.

His father chuckled and then held his gaze on Fishmeat. "Do you want us to take care of him for a while? You always have your hands full with him."

"Nah, I'm good," he told him, rubbing Fishmeat's back.

"Honey, you are always so hesitant on having someone else look after him. It's great that you really care about Fishmeat, but sometimes it's good to just relax and have time to yourself," Agnes explained.

"I'm just concerned about his safety. I promised myself to take the utmost care of him and to never let anything bad happen to him."

"You definitely didn't break that promise the first time you started raising him," Dustin stated. "You were so focused on it during the first couple of months, that your health decreased little by little within each day. Your selfless nature took control of your stamina. Your mother and I were worried sick about you. Son... I just.. I just don't want you to go back to your original routes."

Fishlegs sighed and shamefully eyed on his parents. "I'm sorry that I scared you guys. I went a little bit too far in terms of raising him."

"A little?" his mother asked, raising a knowing eyebrow.

"Alright, a lot. I shouldn't have drifted away from my health and self-concern. It's just... I wanted to be the perfect person that Fishmeat looks up to. I wanted to be an ultimate role model to him," Fishlegs admitted, his eyes filled with guilt.

"Oh, sweetie, you're an amazing caregiver. Nobody is perfect," his mother said softly, putting a wide hand on his thick shoulder.

"Your mother's right, son," Dustin said. "When you were a baby, your mother and I went out of our way to raise you into the proper son you are now. We were first time parents, and it was difficult and stressful during the first few months of your life, but we learned how to deal with it. The first stages of being a parent are apprehensive, but as time goes by, it'll be easier. Parenthood is all about being happy, calm, and patient even at the worst of times. Just make time and space between yourself and Fishmeat, and things will flow a lot easier."

Agnes nodded in agreement. "Fishmeat is a darling baby, and he is very lucky to have you share your love with him. Overworking yourself won't make things any better, it'll just make the experience worse. Just please consider your actions, okay? We love you so much for being our caring, brilliant, and sweet son."

Fishlegs's green eyes twinkled at the advice from his parents. "You guys are the best."

"Ah, don't mention it," Dustin said bashfully.

"Anything for you, Fishlegs," Agnes grinned compassionately.

"When we arrive at the Hidden World, I'll make sure that I'll not overdo myself, and if I do, tell me by all means. Fishmeat needs time to learn and grow, not being smothered by an overprotective mama bear. I love him so much, and I want him to have the best life possible by me before he grows up. I'll try to lower things a bit."

"That's my boy!" Dustin cheered.

"We raised him well, Dustin," Agnes said sweetly.

"You're gonna make a great father one day, Fishy," Dustin told his son with confidence.

"T-thanks," Fishlegs stuttered along with flushing a bit.

"The Light Fury!" Astrid pointed out.

The three whipped their heads to see the Light Fury, a wild and elusive dragon and a subspecies of the Night Fury. Yesterday, Toothless discovered the gorgeous Light Fury in the forest, and it was love at first sight. Her slender appearance, white scales, big, expressive blue eyes, and glittering textures led the Night Fury to be smitten with her. Fishlegs had heard of the Light Fury ever since Hiccup and Astrid described the fateful scene, and he was stoked to learn and study about it. He tried to make a dragon card of the Light Fury, but since he had never seen one before, he made inferences on what it could possibly look like with the help of Hiccup describing the dragon he just saw. Light Fury and Night Fury sounded remarkably adjacent to each other and they were a related species, so he knew their features weren't that much different from a Night Fury's.

"Wow, the Light Fury! I can't believe I'm seeing her for the first time!" Fishlegs said joyfully, his eyes shimmering in pure happiness.

"She's gorgeous," Agnes grinned.

"Look at those glimmering scales!" Dustin pointed a leading finger at her.

Toothless got excited and flew closer to the untamed dragon. He looked around in all directions, unknown that the white dragon had turned invisible and blended in with the blue sky.

"Where did she go?" Tuffnut asked. "Is she made of sky?"

"Woah! Hold up, Toothless!" Hiccup giggled.

The chief turned around and saw the Light Fury heading right towards them, an angry expression appearing on her face.

"Well, look who it is!"

The elusive dragon stretched her legs out, brown claws eagerly prompting to come into contact with their skinny prey. Sharp, white teeth were baring menacingly and her pupils were constricted into snake-like slits. Within a flash, she swooped in to grab the young chief like a predator eagle attacking its victim and vigorously threw him. Her pupils changed back into their original, wide form as she gurgled in delight, finally getting what she had hoped for. Toothless awkwardly looked at the Light Fury before diving down to retrieve his rider. The Light Fury just glanced down and had a stunned look on her face.

Once the chieftain was attached back to his dragon, everyone, except for Fishlegs and Agnes, laughed at him.

"Not a word," Hiccup told them embarrassingly.

"Sorry for laughing, son," Dustin apologized.

"I was shocked! I thought he was gonna get seriously hurt!" Agnes said deliberately, still a bit shaken up.

"Yeah, that was pretty scary. I was worried for my friend," Fishlegs said.

"It was a little unexpected, but Toothless always comes in and saves the day," Dustin said casually.

"He does. He's a really good dragon. Oh, don't be jealous, Geode, you'll always be number one," Agnes reassured the Snaffletang softly and stroked him lightly on the top of his head.

Fishlegs yawned loudly, rubbing his ever so tired eyes. "I'm so sleepy. We've been traveling for hours."

"Don't you worry, dear. We'll find a rest stop soon," Agnes said to his son with the soothing voice she always had.

"I'm sure we are getting closer. I can feel it in my bones," his father said with certitude.

* * *

The tribe arrived at a huge, spacious island that could be seen with a naked eye behind the fluffy clouds. Once Hiccup spotted the island's exterior silhouette that rose superior above the great blue, sea, he made the stop clear for the trip on that point. The area was huge with a lot of green trees, grassy areas, lakes, cliffs, forests, beaches, and waterfalls. The climate was much warmer than Berk's due to the numerous diversity of wildlife and plant life that made themselves at home there. The land was named the Monolithic island, and it was relatively larger than their previous home. It had all the resources needed for the tribe, and it would make do for an excellent home. The Vikings got excited about their stay and made it seem like the island was gonna be their new home even though their chief previously stated that they were just staying there temporarily to make camp and save their energy for the journey. But Hiccup saw how worn out they were and could tell the way they positively reacted to the place, making plans and visualizations of their desired new village, their new home. He made the finalization to stay at the place, but until he and Toothless find the Hidden World.

During the last few moments of the journey before their break, Fishmeat got airsick and had to stop _again _for the baby to dump the contents from his stomach onto the ground. This was the first time Fishmeat got sick, and Fishlegs was in those mama bear instincts again. He was overly concerned and worried for his little baby. A sick baby had to be one of the most dreadful things happening for a first-time parent. All he did during the short, stressful rest break was wandering the earth aimlessly and emotionally and prayed to the gods that the infant would be alright. He also nervously told Gothi to help Fishmeat with a herb designed for airsickness or seasickness and tried different techniques for a long ten minutes to let the stubborn, non-medicine taking baby have the unappealing herb down his small gullet. Fishmeat threw the solution back up, and the husky man had a panic attack. His parents coached him to breathe with a brown, plastic bag, and Gothi took over for the tensed up Fishlegs. She successfully allowed the medicine to dissolve into the baby's stomach. The herb worked to Fishlegs's relief, but Fishmeat's body decided to play it off a bit more. He sneezed and coughed throughout the last few minutes of the flight, and Fishlegs's anxiety acted up again. His anxiety took a part of his life since Fishmeat was born. It was worse in January and February, but he controlled it when Hiccup gave him that inspirational speech that boosted his courage and confidence. He still had it every so often when it came to Fishmeat's problems and Fishlegs's hardships; it was all a role of being a caregiver, stress would be there and people couldn't be happy all the time. Life, especially when it comes to kids, is hectic, but it is memorable, and it can be a beautiful and incredible time.

Fishlegs stood at the very edge of the cliff as the cool, gentle breeze ruffled his short, blond hair and his mustache. He took in a deep breath to take in the air, his chest puffing out, and exhaled. The atmosphere and environment were so peaceful, and he didn't have a single Viking near him. Berk was great, but it was so crowded and clustered with a whole bunch of people walking around; it was like he could hardly breathe with no room to move around. Here, there was a lot of surface area and space to run in. Fishlegs sometimes loved being by himself to admire the gorgeous scenery back in his original home. He stared at the white, puffy clouds rolling by and stared down at the deep, blue water that was dazzling due to the sun's reflection on its surface. He looked way out into the distance, and he could've sworn he saw a dolphin jump gracefully out of the water and come back down with a splash. This certain view was so beautiful and mesmerizing, and it was just one of the amazing views on this island that he had yet to explore. He would love to discover and witness the views and the rest of the island with Fishmeat, who was not with him at the moment. The Dragon Rider, yes, offered Fishmeat to his parents so they could take care of the sick hatchling for a while. He did say that he would tone down his mama bear instincts. Fishmeat needed room to run around and be with other people/dragons. He couldn't be in the pocket all the time, and Fishlegs realized that it was important for him to grow and learn. Growth was one of the most important factors in children. Fishlegs still sighed desperately and sat down, his short legs dangling from the cliff.

Tait saw the man's square-like shaped body as he walked up to the cliff. He went up to him and sat down adjacent to the softy. "Hi, Fishlegs."

Fishlegs heard the small voice and turned his head to the side. He saw the boy's scruffy blond hair blowing in the not so harsh wind. The five-year-old brushed the front of his hair out of his wide, blue eyes.

"Hey," the man said.

"Are you enjoying the view? It's really pretty."

"Yes, it's beautiful. I'm loving it." He smiled at the generally happy boy, hence his name meant "happy".

"My mommy and daddy said that soon, we will see the views together as a family, just the three of us," Tait said with excitement, pulling his dangling legs up to his chest and holding them.

"That's great, Tait. Hopefully, I would get to do that with Fishmeat. And I bet my parents want to come along, too."

"Are you okay by yourself without Fishmeat?" the child inquired, concerned for his mentor figure. "I came here so you won't be lonely."

"Aww, Tait, you're so sweet. You don't have to do that." He rubbed Tait's gentle hair. "But I do miss him a little, okay, a lot, but the view is so calming. I can't be anxious over this."

"You are usually worried without Fishmeat around, but you are not. I like seeing you happy," he said sweetly.

Fishlegs gave a charismatic smile to the little boy. "I love being happy, it puts me in a positive mood. I can get overprotective with Fishmeat and tend to be overbearing. It's a way of showing that I love and care for him. I know I display my protective instincts and crazy emotions a lot, and I'm sorry for that. I don't like being anxious anymore than you do, but I love my little Gronckle so so much. He's like a son to me, and I want him to be safe from all costs. With Grimmel around, I'm even more overprotective and stressed. I apologize for my outbursts, Tait, and I'll change my mood less often now that we are staying here."

Tait threw his small arms around the man. "It's okay, Fishlegs. I understand that you are unhappy sometimes. I'm mad and sad sometimes too, but Mommy and Daddy always make me feel better, and you make me smile, too. I'm happy that you are protective of Fishmeat. He's always safe with you. You are in a good mood when you are with me, and if I see you happy, I'm happy."

Fishlegs's smile beneath his yellow mustache became larger and delicately lifted Tait onto his lap. The boy was so innocent and delightful; Fishlegs had his spirits uplifted when he was there. A frown never appeared on his round face. He felt sorry for the boy since he often appeared to be the overworked, emotional, and distressed Dragon Rider since Fishmeat first came into the world. They were stages experimenting his unconditional, unlimited love for the infant; the set of emotions were new for him, he never had to go through all of them at one time. Meatlug's previous offspring didn't give them those feelings, but he devoted them as much as Fishmeat. Fishmeat's siblings' deaths were impenetrable to get through. The weak, sufferable hatchlings just didn't have what it took in them to barely survive the first morning. Tiny little beings making their trip to Valhalla and barely a day old... Sad little things in life... The man did not want Fishmeat to have the same fate his poor siblings did, which explained the uncontrollable messes he was in. Fishmeat could be playing with his siblings if they were not in Valhalla. Fishlegs's affliction would be the last thing to come in hand if that were the case. Tait's acceptable good mood was more than enough to distinguish Fishlegs's attitudes, no matter what.

"You do know how to cheer me up, Tait," Fishlegs responded, holding the boy tightly, but not too tight to crush him with his mighty arms.

Tait giggled. "I'm an expert at this."

"You sure are." Fishlegs tickled his belly.

Tait laughed and squirmed on his lap. "F-Fishlegs s-stop!"

"I'm the tickle monster! Grrr!" he growled playfully and continued to tickle the laughing boy's belly.

"Ahh! No, not the tickle monster!" Tait shrieked with a laugh added to it.

"My, what do we have here?" a woman voice asked.

The two stopped playing and turned around to find Agnes and Dustin standing behind them. Fishmeat was in Agnes's arms.

"Ahh! Mom, Dad!" Fishlegs yelped in surprised. "We didn't see you there!"

"I see that you two were having fun," Dustin said.

"We were having a tickle party. I was the tickle monster," Fishlegs stated.

"He's really good at tickling," Tait remarked.

"I can see that. Hey, Tait, your parents want you," Agnes apprised.

"Okay." Tait hopped off of Fishlegs's lap. "I'll see you later, Fishlegs."

The Dragon Rider waved at the child as he walked off. "Bye, Tait."

"Now, how's my little Gronckle doing?" Fishlegs questioned, beaming at the little tot in his mother's arms.

"He's doing a lot better," Agnes affirmed, rocking the baby.

"That's great. I was getting worried about him, but this beautiful view helped me to chill and relax." Fishlegs gestured to the breathtaking scenery.

"I'm proud of you, son, for taking this situation well. You really need to get away from Fishmeat for a while and let your mind and body loosen up. You're not exactly in good shape with all the-"

"Stress and anxiety, I know, I know," Fishlegs finished, letting out a sigh. "I don't deserve to raise Fishmeat."

Agnes gasped. "Why not, sweetheart?"

"Because all I am is just a worrywart who carries Fishmeat everywhere I go. And I'm so overprotective and- Oops, here I go again. I was happy just a minute ago, and now I'm all upset again." He sat back down on the grass and stared down at the crystal clear water with an agonizing look in his green irises.

"Fishlegs, sweetie..." His mother said soothingly, sitting on the left side of him. His father sat on the right.

"I guess we're having another one of those conversations, like the one we had on the flight," Dustin interjected.

Agnes glared at him and went back to her son. "Honey, what is your role?"

"A Dragon Rider... and a caregiver to Fishmeat of course."

"That's right. And did you accept or reject raising Fishmeat?"

"Accept it through and through. Rejecting my baby would be ridiculous and uncanny," he said improbably, thinking that he would never do such a cruel thing like that.

"If you really didn't deserve to raise an innocent thing, he wouldn't even be alive today. He wouldn't walk, eat, play, breathe... He wouldn't be resting in my arms." She looked at the sleeping baby.

"But..."

"Ah ah ah, no buts." Agnes waved a finger in front of his face. "Forget about the negative moods. All it matters is that he is happy, healthy, sustained, and alive. You are here for a considerable reason: to raise Fishmeat into the dragon he will become. Don't put yourself down like that, you admire your job, and you would let no one ever take your place. He's rightfully here because of you, honey. You are making sure that he is a living, breathing hatchling. Fishmeat looks up to you and Meatlug and is grateful you care enough, even if you take it extremely, for his life. He loves his caregiver very very much."

Fishlegs embraced his mom and let the tears he had bottled up inside of him flow down his face like raindrops on a window. The inspiring words his mother spoke brightly to him unbroke the tears that were trapped inside. He was ashamed of the role he had taken excessively and more seriously with Fishmeat than with the former hatchlings, even if their mother did more of the raising. He had loved the small hatchling so much that he was always attached to the pocket, or it this was more appropriate, with him 24/7. The man ached at his actions and wished he could stop or didn't let them happen in the first place; Fishmeat was only a baby, but it was okay to leave the nest and wander freely. The long-lasting overprotectiveness, stress, anxiety, etc., didn't assist him at all, but only made him miserable. The last months of the winter were a catastrophe to him, and he acted unlike himself. The mama bear state had remained the same since the beginning of the year, but his anxiety was picking up right where it had left off. It played with his mind; could it decide to be ceaseless or a thing it materialized every now and then? He was not sure and continued to sob into his mother like he was a child again. She stroked his back tenderly and appeased her son with soft words.

"Mom.." he choked and released the knot that was in his throat. "I believe your little speech about my role, but I still regret myself for all of.. this.." He gestured to himself. "I was such in a heap of a mess back in the winter, and I was anxious again on the journey. I don't want to be like this around Fishmeat. I just... I want to start all over. I want all my actions to clear up and only be presented in a more.. situating way. You see how I was. Fishmeat is a happy hatchling and I want him to keep being one. I feel bad that he's always happy despite myself."

"Fishlegs," Agnes began, "If you want to start over, you can do it here, in New Berk. You even said you were gonna keep your nervousness and all that low. Now is the time to do so."

"Fishmeat always has that tail wagging because of you, son," Dustin added. "You may radiate your negative features, but Fishmeat's glad that you are here. Too much negativity is a concern, and I'm joyed that you want to decrease it. But don't change who you are, okay? Your mother and I love you like the Viking you are."

Fishlegs sniffed and stared at them. His parents knew what to say with the right words, and he really couldn't compete with them at this point. Plus, he wasn't in the mood to say anything else. His mission right now was to stay as happy as possible on this new island.

"Thanks, Mom and Dad." He hugged them tightly before hearing a tiny yawn come out of Fishmeat.

"Look who's up," he grinned. "May I?" he asked his mom, holding his opened hands out.

"Of course, dear." She gently lent the infant over to Fishlegs.

Fishlegs cast an apologetic look at the hatchling, cradling his precious one in his thick arms. He was resistant to hold back a painful tear that was rolling down his cheek. The salty substance resembling a bitter and sorry feeling for the suffering he had gone through, and the reactions were only for a small hatchling. Fishmeat deserved to be out of the man's overprotective stanza and to discover things and learn just like he did when he was a lot younger. A mother duck could watch her ducklings observe and communicate with nature rather than them actively following her lead all the time. New Berk was the perfect place for a little, wild hatchling to take baby steps before eventually becoming an independent adult dragon.

"My little one, I'm so sorry for being so overprotective and lashing out my crazy emotions. You don't deserve to see me like that, and I wish you didn't. I was trying to be the best caregiver I could be to you, and I went overboard. It's just that I love you very much, so much that I could give you a yearly's worth of fish supply. I also care about your health and state. My actions are just a way of saying that I dote on you too much, in a good way. You are often smiling, and I thank you for being in a good mood throughout the worst of times. You are a happy, lovable, and playful hatchling, and I want you to keep it that way. I promise I'll let you do things on your own without me getting in the way all the time. That's an Ingerman promise. Do you forgive me, Fishmeat?"

The hatchling waited for the last little word to drop until he spontaneously showered Fishlegs's face with affectionate kisses. He admired his caregiver either way, whether if he was in mama bear mode or not, Fishlegs was still Fishlegs, and he gave his little heart to the kind soul.

"Ahh, okay, okay!" Fishlegs managed between laughing. "I love you, too, my lucky hatchling."

"Oh, Dustin, this is so beautiful!" Agnes cried out, hugging her husband and sobbing emotionally.

"I know, darling, I know. So heartwarming." Dustin ran his big fingers through his wife's shoulder lengthed, blonde hair.

Fishlegs planted a kiss on little Fishmeat's temple. "I wish I could make up all of the things I did to you."

"How about a nice little picnic? Your mother and I have decided to have a nice family picnic together, and we figured today would be perfect. It's a way of celebrating our new home on this island." Dustin intertwined Agnes's fingers with his.

"A picnic sounds wonderful. Thanks, guys," Fishlegs smiled with appreciation.

"I will make the food," Agnes said gladly, but Dustin and Fishlegs were not surprised.

"I know you will, Mom. Your food is delicious," Fishlegs noted.

"Recipes are always on point. You never made one bad meal, and I happen to fail a lot of times," Dustin clarified. He was not the best cook, but his food didn't taste terrible. He would rather eat his wife's masterpieces than his a little bit below average, though tolerable, meals.

"That's why Mom does all the cooking. I can eat like a pig when it comes to her food," Fishlegs indicated.

Agnes chuckled softly. "Thank you, boys. Alright, let's get this picnic started!"

* * *

The three founded a nice, cozy picnic spot at an area not too far from the tribe. It was green-oriented that consisted of trees, plants, flowers, some bushes here and there, and a refreshing, blue lake that housed fish and other small marine animals. From the distance, a waterfall could be heard and seen if you stood in the right place. The environment was so peaceful and quiet with creatures enjoying their habitats. The Ingerman family was eating their scrumptious food with a picnic blanket beneath them.

"And for my house, I plan to have it designed like a Gronckle with the teeth at the front and a porch and the front door posterior to it," Fishlegs explained. "The primary colors will be gold mixed in with the green and red and gold. Oh! And I want rocks that will model the feet of a Gronckles. Isn't that so cute? It would be even cuter if I added some eyes at the top of the head and little wings! Oh, I can just imagine it!"

His parents sat there and ate their food while listening to their son's excited rambling about his future house in New Berk. It was clear now that they were staying there despite Hiccup not finding the Hidden World yet. Besides, the chief specifically told the Vikings that they could stay here until he and Toothless discover the mythical, secret place. It was still so far away from here, and the tribe was already making plans for their homes and a new village. They were one hundred percent sure that their true home was here, and they already loved the gigantic island.

"That sounds nice, dear," Agnes said softly, eating a piece of crab cake.

"Yeah, seems great," Dustin mumbled while eating a chicken leg.

"For the interior, it will have a cozy living room with a fireplace, and across from it will be the kitchen. You can smell the food cooking while you sit in the chair and read a book. The house will also have at least two bedrooms, one for me, and one for guests. I know you guys will want to visit my house; I'm assuming often," he giggled. "Last but not least is the bathroom. It will be simple, nothing too spectacular. I will add more details to the house once I get started on my blueprint. I'm just telling you the basics."

"I'm liking your house already," Dustin conceded.

"Me too. When you have your little home all figured out, the three of us will work on it together," Agnes asserted.

"I can't contain my excitement!" the chubby blond squealed. "I want to start my outline really soon."

"Don't get too excited, dear. We haven't even spent one full day on this island yet. We don't want to rush things," Agnes formally said.

"Mom is right. Let's have some time to get to know this place first." Dustin moved his gaze from his son to the little bite marks on his food. "You barely ate your lunch."

"Sorry, I'm just hyped that's all." Fishlegs picked up a loaf of bread and took a bite out of it.

Fishmeat sniffed along the ground, not that far from the picnic spot. He stopped in his tracks when he saw a monarch butterfly fluttering in front of him. His little nose bounced up and down, taking a whiff of the interesting creature. Something ticklish made his way inside his nose, and his face scrunched up. He sneezed a few seconds after, blowing the insect a few feet away from him. The butterfly returned, seeking a liking to him. It perched onto his nose. Fishmeat's eyes got closer together to get a clear picture of the butterfly. Once he did, he cracked into a toothy smile.

Meatlug watched her little baby with a cheerful and proud look in her eyes. Fishmeat was growing up so fast, and not before long, he would be learning how to fly. The thought of that made her purr with excitement. She had watched him grow from his birth until now, and she had to continue watching her boy grow into a grown-up dragon. Even though Fishlegs mostly kept him sheltered and under his arm, he still got to learn some things; that made the mother dragon appreciated of her son. Fishlegs had finally learned to let go of his overprotective nature, and at this rate, Fishmeat would be learning more things now. As the mother observed her playful son, she reminisced of the day when the little hatchling was born. She didn't expect the life he would be given in this huge world after the lost ones of his siblings. That day had to be one of the most unique days in her lifetime, other than her previous hatchlings births of course. Fishmeat was a little hatchling packed with tough dragon scales, and he would get through everything if he believed. She was lucky to have her special hatchling.

Fishlegs located Fishmeat playing with the butterfly as he was finishing his food. "Look at how energetic and happy he is."

His parents grinned at the gregarious little dragon. "He's so cute with the butterfly," Agnes commented. "I can't wait to see him fly. I can already picture those little wings flapping rapidly like a humming bird's."

"Yeah," Fishlegs sighed dreamily.

Fishmeat ran over to the picnic with the butterfly in tow. He stuck his pink tongue out and panted.

"Looks like you made a new friend," Fishlegs pointed out, seeing the monarch.

"You're a beauty," Dustin complimented.

"Oh, I just love butterflies," Agnes raved.

Fishmeat purred loudly, satisfied that his caregiver and family are accepting to his new, beautiful insect friend. He sat down, his front little legs between his hind legs that were next to each side.

"You're hungry again?" Fishlegs asked, giggling.

Fishmeat licked his chops and quickly nodded. Fishlegs chuckled and grabbed a small fish from out of the picnic basket. He threw it to him, and Fishmeat perfectly caught it.

Dustin belched. He smiled sheepishly. "Excuse me. Man, that hit the spot."

"You outdid it again with your cooking, Mom," Fishlegs approvingly said.

"Thank you kindly, Fishlegs," his mom said in a courteous manner, dabbing her mouth with a napkin.

A small, but worrisome thought suddenly occurred in his head. The sight of the warm and comfort of his loved ones and dragons surrounding around him with a blast of cheerful moods and good vibes bouncing off of their bodies exceedingly turned to the one thing that was sticking to his brain. It was not a thing but a person... His girl, his true love, his first one that he ever fell in love with...

"Fishlegs?" Dustin noticed, his laughter ceasing once he spotted the frown on his son's face.

"Son, are you alright? Are you sick?" Agnes questioned worriedly. "I'll go get Gothi."

"No, it's not that..."

"Then what is it? You were in a happy mood earlier," Dustin confirmed.

"I'm thinking about Heather," he spoke up, staring at the picnic blanket that he sat on.

"Oh, her..." Dustin realized.

"We haven't seen her for a long time. Don't worry, love, she's not gone forever," Agnes reassured.

"But she hasn't written a letter to me yet!" Fishlegs complained, finally looking up at his parents. "I want to at least get something from her, even if she only said hello."

"Well, Fish, if you want her to get in contact with you, why not send her a letter yourself?" Dustin suggested. "I mean, she _is _your former girlfriend, and you want to get in touch with her. I see you are desperately missing her."

"I... haven't really thought about that... But I don't want her to get upset at me for bothering her? What if she's busy and doesn't have time to respond?"

"_You _have to figure that out yourself," Agnes told him, lightly tapping his bulbous nose.

"I guess you're right. If she won't write to me, I'll write to her. She's so isolated from us lately, but I'm about to change things around if she replies hopefully."

"I'm positive she will, but it might take her a few days or even weeks to reply back. You just have to be patient," his mother explained. "Now, who wants dessert?"

"Me!" Fishlegs and Dustin chorused, raising their hands up simultaneously.

* * *

Fishlegs walked towards his orange tent, carrying Fishmeat with one strong arm. The chubby, mustached man could hardly believe he was writing to his former girl again. It was just like old times. Although he didn't see Heather's face, he was still happy to write to her; it was just another way of speaking to one another. He smiled nostalgically at the memory.

He then noticed Snotlout walking to him. Fishmeat growled at the blue-eyed man. He was smart enough to know that he wasn't fond of him, let alone take a liking to him. Just about everybody adored the small hatchling, and when passing by him, they would give little coos to him or friendly pats on the head. But with Snotlout, he barely interacted with the baby, and he even avoided eye contact with him and as a whole, didn't directly look at him at all. Fishlegs was a little heartbroken about Snotlout's lack of interest in the infant, but Snotlout was a man who only had a mind of his own when it came to his aspiring authority, who was prone to deserve being dominant over his friends, but when you exterminate his total personality, the man deep down had a heart of gold for his friends and his dragon, acting like he truly cared for him in certain aspects. You _really_ needed to become good friends with him in order for the narcissistic and ego Viking to hatch out his buried sensitive feelings.

"Fishmeat, shh, it's okay," he said with a gentle voice, stroking the defensive hatchling.

"Hey, I'm not doing any harm to you, little fella, alright?" Snotlout said truthfully.

"What do you need, Snotlout?" Fishlegs inquired.

The stocky Dragon Rider blew his lips, then clapped his pudgy hands together. "How do I start off with this? Well, uh, I..."

"Yes? Go on," Fishlegs encouraged.

"I came here to... apologize.. to Fishmeat," he declared.

Fishlegs smiled brightly. Snotlout was finally realizing his lack of feelings for the hatchling and the reactions he had to him. "He would love to hear it. You hear that, Fishmeat? Snotlout is about to apologize to you."

The baby's eyes widened a little and stared into his icy, blue eyes, a frown still resting on his face. He was surprised that he, the one and only Snotlout, would appease him with apologetic words. He was still a little skeptical of that, though.

"Fishmeat, I'm truly sorry for my rude behavior and my ignorance of you. It's just that you get on my nerves, and I can't really handle hatchlings as Fishlegs does. They are just so whiny, slobbery, and..."

"Snotlout..." Fishlegs gave him a stern look.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry. Anyway, I usually ignore you because of that, and I should've been more... What's the word? Oh, attentive. What I did was wrong, and I promise to never do that again, even if you are just a loud, whiny hatchling who drools. Do you accept my apology, little dude, or.."

Fishmeat interrupted by jumping into his arms and licking him all over his face. He got along with every Viking and dragon, so there was no reason why he wouldn't like him after that nice apology he just did.

"Ahh! No! Drool!" Snotlout shouted but laughed.

"Okay, Fishmeat, down," Fishlegs demanded nicely. "That was a good apology, Snotlout. I'm flattered that you walked over here to do that. Thank you."

"Heh, no problem," he replied. "Now, I better get going now. I'll see you and Fishmeat later."

"See ya, Snotlout," Fishlegs waved.

Fishmeat copied his owner and roared a goodbye.

* * *

Fishlegs had his left cheek in his hand with an elbow sitting on his small desk as he tapped the sharp end of his thick, wooden twig on the blank parchment. The Viking was still stumped on what to write, and it had been almost nearly an hour. He wanted the words to sound worthy and trusting enough to earn his girl back and was perplexed to write either a sweet and simple one or a long believable one. All he needed to do was to write one paper, but it was a difficult task for him. He looked off to his right to the crumpled up, discarded pieces of paper he had written on. Fishmeat played with one of them like a cat with a yarn ball. He turned back to the paper and growled.

"This is so frustrating Fishmeat! I want to write a really good letter to Heather, but I'm struggling to put a mere sentence down!" Fishlegs whined.

Fishmeat didn't pay attention to his caregiver as he was too busy having too much fun with the paper. He lied on his back and was throwing the paper up into the air and catching it repeatedly.

Fishlegs sighed and tapped the twig on the paper. A moment or so, he had something in mind and started to write it down, only to dislike it and crumpled it up into a ball. He threw it off to the side and planted his head onto the desk. He covered his huge arms around his head.

"Oh, it's hopeless," he muffled.

Fishmeat rubbed against his leg and roared playfully. He wagged his tail.

The Dragon Rider looked up and gave him a sorry look. "I'm sorry, Fishmeat. I don't have time to play right now. I'm upset about this letter."

Fishmeat whined before changing his mood and jumping up and down. He hopped onto his lap and licked his face.

"Fishmeat, I said no." He patted the Gronckle on the head.

The Gronckle disobeyed his answer and pulled on the braided piece of his short, blond hair with his teeth.

"Fishmeat, I said no!" he lashed out.

The hatchling hopped out of his lap petrified by the raising tone of his voice. He never heard him yell like that before, which scared him out of the blue. He whimpered guiltily and proceeded slowly to the opening of the tent. His mother followed him.

"Fishmeat, no, I didn't mean..." he trailed off when he saw his sad baby already walking out of the tent.

Fishlegs gave up and threw himself on his bed in an angry and sad manner; both feelings from the two problems clashed together. He sobbed into his pillow, frustrated about the letter to Heather and depressed about his infant leaving him. His moody emotions from raising Fishmeat plus his overprotective acts were one thing, but Fishmeat leaving his caregiver from an outburst had to be the most appalling thing that had ever happened to him since the break up with Heather and the most tears streaming out from his two eyes. He forgot all about the letter and kept weeping in the pillow, thinking about what he had done.

_Dear Heather,_

_Hi, my friend. Remember me? It's your old boyfriend Fishlegs, here. We haven't seen each other for a while, well, a long time actually, and I decided to write this letter to check with you and things. How's life going on Berserker island? I hope all is good for you and your brother, oh, and I can't forget about Mala. I've recently moved to a huge island that we have named New Berk, and the reason for that is because of a new threat, a Dragon Hunter named Grimmel, who wants all of our dragons. Hiccup, who is chief now, wanted us and the dragons to be safe and secluded. He was trying to go to his mythical place called The Hidden World, a secret, sanctuary area that his father used to tell him about when he was little, but we still didn't find it yet, thus making our stay at New Berk. We didn't make a village yet, he still wants to go search for it. Oh, and by the way, Meatlug had a baby dragon named Fishmeat, and he is everything to me. He had siblings, a boy and a girl, but they unfortunately went to Valhalla. Meatlug was overdue, so they all hatched late. His siblings were so weak and fragile, which led to their passing.. And since that day, I became overprotective to Fishmeat. I was so worried about him, that I had long-lasting stress and anxiety. But fortunately, I calmed down and promised to raise Fishmeat on New Berk without being so worrisome. Being a caregiver is tough, but it's the best job in the world; I love it. _

_Since the breakup, you haven't visited us, and I was getting very worried for you, I still am. You didn't send me any letters or anything. I even kept dreaming about you, desperately wanting you back in my life. I know you had to break up with me because of our long distance relationship, and I understand that, but I was heartbroken. I mourned about it every day, and I was in a depressed and low-spirited state for weeks. That day caused the continuous dreams I had about you and me together, happy and peaceful in the world that we live in, not worrying about a solitary thing. Remember when I said that I needed you? Well, in the dreams, you needed me back. We were together like two peas in a pod, we had unconditional love for each other, and we had a very strong, unbreakable relationships like Hiccup and Astrid. Heather, when I first met you, I thought that you were the most beautiful woman I ever came across. Your gorgeous, raven hair reminds me of the shining sea at night, and your beautiful, green eyes remind me of sparkly green emeralds. My eyes lit up like fireworks, and my heart beat in my chest like a drum. I immediately knew we were meant to be. We started off as really good friends, then we became a couple, which was one of the best gifts that I've ever received other than my baby Gronckle, Fishmeat, being born. I remember the fun times we used to have together. Writing letters, going on dates, having romantic flights... Those were memorable times that I will remember forever. I know you are busy with things, and I totally understand if it takes you a while to reply back, I hope you do. I just wanted to talk to you by writing this letter, and it makes me relieved about it, even if I don't see your precious face. If you don't mind this, I have one question to ask you, and it's been engulfed in my brain lately: Do you want to start over? If you don't reply to that, it's okay, I just wanna know. It's great to write to you again Heather, and I do hope you make your return one day._

_Love, Fishlegs._

* * *

"Fishmeat!" Fishlegs called. "Please come out! I didn't mean to yell at you!"

The missing baby was currently with his mother and Tuffnut, eating some popcorn that the Zippleback fire had made. There were still some kernels left in the bag that hadn't been popped yet. Most of the kernels were popped, and some of them were inside the hatchling's stomach.

"Fishmeat!"

The baby perked his ears and zipped to the Crimson Goregutter, hiding under his big wing. The older dragon picked his wing up, which revealed the hatchling shaking in fear. He crooned in concern for Fishmeat.

"Uh, Fishmeat, it sounds like that Fishlegs wants you," Tuffnut said.

Fishmeat shook his head in defiance and stayed tuck under his gigantic friend's protective wing. It was like a big blanket to him, and plus, it was warm and cozy under there.

Fishlegs skimmed around and saw Tuffnut, the Goregutter, and Meatlug together. He hadn't checked over there yet. He made his way to them and asked, "Have you seen Fishmeat?"

"The little baby's hiding under the Goregutter's wing. I think he's playing hide or seek or something, I don't know," Tuffnut answered.

"Fishmeat is scared because I yelled at him," he said guiltily. "Oh, I feel so bad."

"Don't you worry, my dragon loving friend. Ruffnut used to be afraid of me all the time when we were little. I think it's because we used to fight a lot and I shouted too many times at her. There was this one time when I broke her favorite sword, and she didn't talk to me for a week. I was sad, but of course, she got over it, and she talked to me again, which made me so happy. Siblings do crazy things like that. They fight and bicker at each other, but they have unstoppable love for each other. I mean, look at me and Ruffnut. You can't ever see us being separated. We're just not good by ourselves."

"Wow... That kind of helped... Thank you, Tuffnut," Fishlegs smiled.

"No problem. And if you feel like moping in my full, thick beard, you are more than welcome to do so," Tuffnut said as he stroked his two long strands of blond hair that were twisted together to make it look like he had a beard.

"Fishmeat, please come out from under there. I really didn't mean to shout. I was just angry," he explained calmly.

Fishmeat poked his head out from the wing and trotted slowly towards Fishlegs.

"That's it, there you go," the man said softly, smiling from under his mustache.

Fishmeat rubbed against Fishlegs's side gently and purred. He couldn't run away from him forever, he was his one and only caregiver, and he was attached to him. Fishlegs was doing his best to raise him, and he stuck throughout his few months of life every day, and nothing could stop him from ever loving the kind Dragon Rider who he devoted very much. He was the best caregiver he could ever ask for, and all he ever needed was he and his mother.

Fishlegs giggled and picked him up. He kissed his forehead and rocked him. "I'm very sorry, my lucky Gronckle. I shouldn't have lashed out on you like that. I was so frustrated about the letter. Luckily, I was determined to write it, and I'm very proud of it."

He stroked him tenderly once more. "Fishmeat, no matter what happens, I'll always be with you. Nothing could ever break us apart. I love you so much, my special one."

Fishmeat purred audibly as he heard the gentle, soothing words coming out of his mouth and the loving, congenial strokes along his back. Those things along with the rocking made his eyes droopy. His mouth opened to reveal a big, exhausted yawn. He leisurely closed his eyes and went into a peaceful doze.

* * *

Fishmeat was the best and the most blessed Snoggletog gift Fishlegs had ever received throughout his whole life. He shed his blood, sweat, and tears to raise the once weak but as strong as a rock hatchling who had hatched forcefully out of his egg. He deliberately took upon his will to raise and care for the hatchling that Meatlug had carried in her stomach for a few months. He felt like a dedicated parent to the hatchling, though at the same time, an overprotective, smothering mother bear; those actions were huge chunks of examples of his unlimited love for him. Raising him was an amazing journey; it took effort, heart, patience, and confidence. He showcased a bunch of wild emotions which somewhat took over his life as well as Fishmeat he promised to take care of. His friends and family helped him in any way they could despite him stubbornly not wanting any help. The cohesiveness between him and his hatchling was the only primary subject he had in his head, making room for rescuing dragons, and willingly made sure _nothing _got between caregiver and hatchling. The bond they had instantly created for one another was like two magnets sticking against each other, and the whole village studied their relationship fondly other than Hiccup and Toothless. Every day was an adventure for both of them, and they couldn't possibly see them going separate ways. Until that chronic day summarized the future of their relationship: together from afar.

_"Fishmeat, no matter what happens, I'll always be with you. Nothing could ever break us apart."_

Bitter tears fell sharply on the paper of the Book of Dragons, making the thin material wet. A pudgy hand wiped the small forming puddle away, leaving a part of the page smeared. The memory that just happened not too long ago was still planted in him, and when he thought of that tragic moment, he closed the stress reliever book and threw it across the tent. He broke down into tears for the fifth time; his book that had cheered him up during sad times didn't help one bit. The most heartbreaking and painful thing had happened to him, it jumped above the yelling at Fishmeat, the overbearing acts, the mood swings, the break up with Heather. And that moment was his baby boy leaving him.

Things had briefly turned around like cake batter being mixed in a bowl. That scene had changed his life in the most drastic way ever. Of all the things he had imagined, he couldn't ever imagine the breakup between him and Fishmeat. They had chemistry with each other. They were like mother and son or father and son. But earlier today, it decided that things change, and lives were had to be moved on, regardless of the circumstance. The question "why" repeated in Fishlegs's mind like a million times; he swore to the gods that that single worded question could never get out of him. Why did it have to end this way? Why so soon? Why not until we are old and our time is up? Fishlegs knew there was a good reason for the Vikings and dragons to go their separate ways. Hiccup realized that the world the dragons lived in wasn't safe with them, considering all the bad Dragon Hunters and Trappers, and after he had discovered the Hidden World, a place where harm didn't exist, he made a conclusion. Dragons were justified to reside in the Hidden World, and no humans could enter there, which blew the Dragon Hunters and Trappers out of the water. There were dragons who guarded the entrance to the majestic place to protect their home and challenged who would dare come in it only with a purpose to disturb it. The outside world was filled with danger, and a lot of dragons suffered because of that. The Hidden World was the only true place for dragons, and they would be secure there. It was the perfect home that provided everything they needed, and no dragon could ask for a better home than the one that the Vikings had told stories about for many years.

When the creatures all left, the Hooligans had promised to never bring up the existence of them and tell people far away from Berk that they were only a myth. It was the sake for their lives to be forever protected. Despite them leaving, the Book of Dragons and other resources like dragon cards would still remain in Berk. Fishlegs had the book and his cards, but the things he had loved the most were gone. He miserably had to watch his girl and his infant drift apart from him. It tugged tightly on his heartstrings, and it felt like a bunch of knives had pierced through his chest. Dragons were a thing when he was little, and he had grown up with them for most of his life. They were mistreated from the Vikings when they thought they were just simply monsters when he was a kid, but he was fascinated in them, and he studied them from his books. Hiccup was the one boy who made everyone see that dragons were not evil creatures, but harmless, good-natured, and forgiving beasts. Fishlegs knew how tough it was for Hiccup to see his best friend Toothless go, they also had a loving and unbreakable relationship, and they did everything together and witnessed fun-loving and sadistic memories. Those two were a memorable duo, and Fishlegs was sad to see them apart. The chief was weeping just as much as he was when the moment arose.

Fishlegs didn't realize that the day would be occurring so soon. Meatlug, his sweet and innocent dragon was gone just like that; unforgettable memories were shared between the two, and his precious Meatlug was a giant ladybug to him. She was the first thing he would always wake up to, slobbery kisses drenching his face, and he didn't mind one bit of it. She would also cheer him up when he was depressed; she kind of reminded him of a mother since she was so loving and caring, and she sort of acted like one to him. The recollections of his special Meatlug were a thing to always remember her by. Fishmeat was only a few months old, and he _already _had to leave him. He didn't even get the chance to watch him grow up into a full dragon. He really desired to start new and fresh on New Berk to pay back for all the emotions and jumbled up things he had experienced while raising Fishmeat so that he could go through the caregiving job unexceptionally happy and joyful, for the sake of Fishmeat. But that was all traded away by his little baby leaving him. In the course of the past few months, he had a prominent and exhilarated role of raising him for the time being and seeing how a real daily job of a parent was like. It was a tough and blissful job that was all over in a blink of an eye. Fishmeat brought additional joy into his life just being his happy, energetic self. His addition to Berk was now being transferred into a new, better home, and the disappearance of him was heart-rending. Notwithstanding his heartaches and grieving for his loved ones, he was also happy, knowing that his dragons would be safe and secure in there. Hiccup made the right choice for the creatures to live in peace, happiness, and harmony in the Hidden World. As long as they were perfectly safe and sound in there, he was fine. He would always remember them through the times he inhabited in New Berk, and if he had children, he would proudly tell them stories about his dragon riding adventures. When the Berkians were fully ready to accept the dragons again, he would greet their return with open arms.

Fishlegs hiccuped and wiped his nose with his hand. He calmed down for now, but it would not be long until the tears would drain down again. He heard something outside of his tent. The former Dragon Rider stared at the entrance and noticed his parents stepping inside.

"Hey, sweetie," Agnes spoke gently, a pitiful tone slightly hinted. Fishlegs detected a red color in his mother's eyes, assuming that she had been crying for Geode.

"Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad," Fishlegs mumbled, keeping his gaze on the floor.

"You still sad about Fishmeat and Meatlug?" his father asked, touching his shoulder with a pacifying hand.

"Of course I am, Dad! Can't you see?" he yelled.

"Okay, sweetie, calm down. We are not taking this any easier than you are," Agnes acknowledged.

"I've been crying for hours, and it's gonna take me a long time for me to accept the dragons not living with us anymore."

"Your father and I are the same way. It's hard to believe that Geode won't be with us anymore," Agnes said sadly.

"We're gonna miss him dearly, and we already do. We know how you are exactly feeling son," Dustin understood, trailing his hair along with a finger.

Fishlegs took a deep breath and sighed. "Hiccup made a wise decision to let them stay in the Hidden World, but it doesn't change the fact that all of us are grieving for our dragons that we have loved for years."

"We are all sad about this situation, but the dragons deserve to be hidden and safe in there. It's a sanctuary for them, and since the magical place is a secret from the outsiders, especially Dragon Hunters and Trappers, they will forever be protected. It's great to see that they are finally shielded in a huge, enclosed area, and I'm happy for them," Agnes explained clearly, being serious about the topic while having a gentle look in her blue eyes.

"I feel the same way, Mom," Fishlegs agreed. He then sniffed and rubbed his eyes, feeling some tears staining on his face.

"I wish the Hidden World wasn't meant for dragons only, then we could coexist together. I would see my baby grow and study new dragons and watch new lives being born and..." Fishlegs choked up, tears welling in his green eyes.

"Hey, hey, hey, son, don't get too worked up." Dustin patted and rubbed his son's back in a stimulating manner.

Agnes wiped his tears away and kissed him lovingly on his pudgy cheek. "They may be far apart from us, but they are always with us. Right in here." She laid her soft hand on his chest.

Fishlegs's frown gradually cracked into a benign smile. His mom's warm hand felt nice on that spot, and it seemed to have calmed him down. He positioned his right, chubby hand onto his mom's hand.

"I had a lovely time spending my life with Meatlug and raising Fishmeat. They are so dear to my heart, and I can't imagine a life without them."

Dustin hugged him. "You only being there for them made their lives complete, and without you here to give your heart out for them, their lives would be broken."

"I promise you they will always remember you in there persistent time in The Hidden World," Agnes said placidly.

"And I will always remember them. I'm so happy that Fishmeat left this world with durable and protective life. I feel like I've raised him for his entire life, but I haven't even taken care of my beloved hatchling for half of his life. I presented myself as a proud parent figure, and I'm blessed to do that inspiring job. I loved it to all of my content, Mom and Dad, even though it's so tough to take care of just one hatchling. Fishmeat has made me who I am as a person who has a lot of emotions expressed. His habitat here and in old Berk was short, but I did my very best to fulfill Fishmeat's purpose on successfully surviving through a carefree and well-balanced life."

"Oh, son, we are so glad that you care so much for Fishmeat. We can see that you have inherited your parenting skills from us," Dustin said proudly.

His mom gave him a long, endearing kiss on his temple and stroked his cheek fondly. "Your loving nature and kind acts are what makes you who we love. Fishmeat partially grew because of you, and he and his mother have become passionate little darlings. You've raised them both really affectionately and efficiently, and they would never forget all of the genial things you've done."

Fishlegs embraced his parents tightly. His dear dragons were gone to the Hidden World, but he still had his incredible and loving parents that were still there to support him on everything that he did in this world. He was so prosperous to have them and his friends with him in New Berk and accept their favorable appearance here. They were equal to his dragons and had a powerful, secure, and solicitous bond. He would still continue to go on fun adventures with his friends and visit his relatives. The man had the rest of his years ahead of him to do many things he did and had not done before. The Vikings had learned to accept the dragons into their lives, now it was time to learn how to live without them. The future held many surprises in store.

He suddenly heard his stomach growl and smiled sheepishly.

"I'm getting hungry," he said.

"I'll go make dinner," Agnes delightedly said.

The trio went out of the tent with Fishlegs between his parents, holding their hands like he was a child again. His heart swelled with good feelings for his little one and Meatlug. His beautiful dragons were far away in a refuge area, but regardless of the distance, they would always be with him in his big heart. The devoted dragons once lived in a peaceful, synchronizing life with the Hooligans, all thanks to Hiccup, but were now separated from them to live in the home they truly belonged to live in. The future was gonna be completely different without them; the dragons led Berk to be in high quality and a diverse state. Not to mention colorful and beautiful with the fabulous creatures. They contained the Vikings with merriment and had switched their beliefs around on what they had originally thought of them. It was a wholesome adventure and time with them, but they had learned to say goodbye to them. The dragons were to be kept concealed in the Hidden World, and the Vikings were allowed on green land, not saying a word of the dragons' existence from outside their tribe.

**A/N: Did I really just write a super long one-shot about my favorite Viking? Yes, yes I did. Gods, I love Fishlegs so much that I've written the most (currently) lengthy story I've ever done. Over 28,000 words... Unbelievable. I didn't expect to write this much, and I'm so proud of myself for writing so much. Fishmeat and Fishlegs's relationship is not really displayed that much in the movie, so I decided to expand on that in much more detail. It took me over a month to complete this long one-shot which I have spent many hours, days, and weeks on. It took patience, brainstorming, creation, imagination, and detailed writing to create this wordy one-shot that I am fondly proud of. This is a very very late Mother's Day fanfic, and I am keenly aware of that. Writing is hard, and even though I'm on summer break and have loads of time to make this, I was struggling to write this sweet product. My laptop has this problem where it unexpectedly turns off without warning, and it unfortunately erased away a huge part of the description of Heather. It made me upset, but I attempted to write it to the original paragraphs and have made it better by adding some extra stuff. I want to thank you all so much for waiting patiently on this. Making stories is hard, but I still enjoy doing them, and the favorites and follows on them makes me so happy to see that people read and care about my stories. The favs, follows, and reviews really help, and it encourages me. I'm sorry if this one-shot is too long for you, I just want to make it in depth and include Fishlegs's strong emotions and actions while raising Fishmeat. There are barely any fanfics on Fishlegs, so I took part to make a worthy one for him. He is such an underrated character, and I adore his adorable personality and everything that the animators did with him. He kind of reminds me of me, as I'm such a geek in school, and I always make excellent grades. I understand why Hiccup is the most loved character in HTTYD; he even used to be my favorite. But Fishlegs eventually took his spot and now Hiccup is in a close second for best Viking. Fishlegs deserves as much love as the other dragon riders, don't you think? Also, I wanted to add some Fishlegs X Heather in there, even though they are not seen together. I know some of you don't like that pairing, but I do. It's adorable.**

**I was originally gonna have a part of this story in the ending where Fishlegs becomes a father, but it became too long. Fortunately though, I'm planning to have a sequel to this story called "Daddy Fishlegs." It's gonna be a one-shot like this one and hopefully not that lengthy. It has been a blast writing this story, and I'm glad to publish a story about my favorite chubby and geeky Viking along with adorable Fishmeat. Thank you so much for reading. :3**


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